Associated Press
The NFL notebook …
SURRY, Va. ó Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick plans to plead guilty to state dogfighting charges, a step that could allow him to qualify for an early release from federal prison and into a halfway house, court papers show.
In a motion filed Oct. 15 in Surry County Circuit Court, Vick’s attorneys asked to have him enter his plea by video teleconference. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Oct. 30, Surry County Circuit Court administrator Sally Neblett said.
The court papers note that allowing Vick to appear on two-way video would save the government the considerable expense of transporting him from prison in Leavenworth, Kan., to Surry County. His guilty plea would also allow him to pursue a halfway house program.
Under federal rules, Vick is ineligible to be released to a Residential Re-entry Center in the federal system until any pending charges against him are resolved.
In a statement, Vick attorneys Billy Martin and Lawrence Woodward said their client “is committed to taking responsibility for his actions. He is hopeful that, through this motion, the trial court will allow him to finally resolve these matters and put the charges behind him so that he can begin to focus on his future and to prepare to be reunited with his family.”
The plea deal, if approved, also would satisfy the county’s need to hold him accountable for the grisly crimes he bankrolled and participated in at a rural house he owned there.
“I’m not trying to make him suffer,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerald Poindexter said in a telephone interview. “I’m just trying to make him account for what he’s done.”
WINSLOW SUSPENDED
CLEVELAND ó Tight end Kellen Winslow has been suspended for one game without pay by the Cleveland Browns for critical comments he made following Sunday’s loss at Washington.
Winslow, who spent three days at the Cleveland Clinic earlier this month with an undisclosed illness, revealed he had a staph infection. He complained that the team, which has had at least six known cases of staph in the past three years, asked him to hide his illness.
Winslow will miss Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tuesday’s action by the team will cost him $235,294 ó his one-game paycheck.
Winslow will not be allowed to practice or attend meetings at the team’s facility this week and cannot return until Monday.
BUSH SURGERY
LONDON ó Reggie Bush had surgery on his left knee and it’s unclear when the New Orleans Saints running back will be back with the team.
Bush, injured on a punt return in the first half of Sunday’s 30-7 loss to Carolina.
Bush sustained cartilage damage, and some athletes have missed several months because of surgery to repair similar injuries.
JAGUARSJACKSONVILLE, Fla. ó After a bye week, the Jacksonville Jaguars returned to practice Tuesday glad to have movement in the shooting case of teammate Richard Collier, but are still perplexed over the incident.
Collier, a left tackle, was shot 14 times on Sept. 2 and is paralyzed from the waist down. He was released from the hospital last week after having his left leg amputated below the knee.
On Saturday, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested Tyrone Romaro Hartsfield, 32, and charged him with attempted murder.