Vick cleared by NFL
The NFL has completed its investigation into the shooting at Michael Vick's birthday party last month in Virginia Beach and he has been cleared to play, a league spokesman told the Daily News today.
Vick cleared by NFL
Paul Domowitch, Daily News NFL Columnist
UPDATED:
Michael Vick arrived at Lehigh today and answered questions from the media. Here is a sampling of what he said:
* He said he should have listened to his mother and kept the party private, rather than allowing the public in.
* Vick says he found out about shooting "15-20 mins" after it happened "from a friend." Vick said he went to the authorities to explain what his role was.
* Vick said it "wasn't a pleasant conversation" when Vick told Andy Reid about the shooting.
* Vick says he wants to sit down with comissioner Roger Goodell when Goodell visits Eagles camp next week and "look him in the eye." He said he spoke with Goodell on the phone last week.
* He said he knows he's on his "last chance" and knows he shouldn't have put himself in that situation where something like the shooting could happen.
* “Two to three weeks ago I was curious if I was going to make it to training camp … I didn’t do anything wrong … The whole time I was confident that I was going to be here.”
* “Everything in my life is a work in progress. I never thought something like that would happen. If I knew I never would have showed up. There was a lot of thins I could have done to avoid a situation like that, but I didn’t.”
* "You never want anyone to get shot. You never want anyone to get harmed ... if certain people would have never showed up, it never would have happened."
EARLIER:
The NFL has completed its investigation into the shooting at Michael Vick's birthday party last month in Virginia Beach and he has been cleared to play, a league spokesman told the Daily News today.
In an email, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said, "there is no change in his playing status."
The league could have disciplined Vick under the personal conduct policy even though police have said Vick will not be charged. Vick's attorney has said he was gone from the scene before the shooting took place.
Vick reportedly met with comissioner Roger Goodell, with Goodell urging Vick to tighten his circle to family and close friends. The NFL has said it will not comment on what it deems private conversations between players and Goodell.
The announcement comes as Vick, rookies and selected veterans are scheduled to report to Lehigh today for the start of training camp.
Vick is expected to answer questions from reporters for the first time since the incident.
Quanis Phillips, one of Vick's codefendants in the dogfighting ring, was shot in the leg outside the party.
Virginia Beach police say they know the identity of the shooter but cannot file charges because witnesses are being uncooperative.
*
In other news, left guard Todd Herremans is among the selected veterans expected to report today.
Herremans, who has started more Eagles games than any member of the offense, missed much of the spring with pain in his foot. It was the same foot that required surgery that caused him to miss the first five games last season.
Herremans has seen a specialist and has said the foot is fine.
Somewhere in dog haven Rin Tin Tin is sobbing— wiseoldowl- Big Tom Threw 3 - it isn't Michael Vick's job to "parent" those kids. Sounds to me like you are blaming Vick for a lack of parenting in those areas.— EaglesBleedMoney
mlr710: great comment. I laughed out loud. lol, bill(my IQ is)20 is now gonna have to switch to the extra heavy duty tin foil for his hats. WTH is a "physcho" anyway? The psycho has been repeating that for some time.— Mabus- Bill20 needs Jesus— salt
- i don't hate the guy, i hate what he did to the defenseless animals. that being said, i just wish they could trade him for some draft picks so we can get on with the Kolb era (win or lose in his 1st year).— sgamble077
- Scumbags here love the scumbag Vick...their idol. LOL.— Bill20
- Salt you said Garcia is a slower version of Vick, based on what evidence? Garcia has posted a qb rating of 90 or better 5 times, Vick did it once based on 13 attempts last year. Seems to me Garcia is a better qb.— lapperdog
- one other thing, this isn't vick's 2nd chance as some have said, this is more like this sick b*stards 5th chance if you count everything not including killing poor innocent dogs— sgamble077
- Just cannot imagine how anyone can be a Vick fan. Why?— davekrieg
- The shame of all of this is from a football standpoint is there's so much to look forward to with this Eagles team, the "new era" so to say. Any other time I would be jumping through hoops to get to Lehigh etc....I'd even be pumped for the pre-season games! By choosing to keep this dog torturer on the roster they have in turn taken a game and a team that I love away from me. I will be back for sure when he's gone and I will forgive the Eagles, but until then I have to sacrifice something I love and have paid much $$$$ in the past to experience.....Is that fair????? Nope but life is not fair I guess. Thanks Jeff. Why do I only name you Jeff???? Because as the "BOSS" you needed to stand your ground and the minute Joe and Andy proposed this you should have SLAMMED THE DOOR. EDITOR please send this post to Mr. Lurie! Lastly I want him to read this.........Jeff I understand and believe in second chances. Bank robbers deserve second chances not murderers. If someone killed, well not just killed but TORTURED you dog, would you forgive them?????— Phinally
- True Values, how about you stop the preaching and telling people what they can and can't do or say! We sure know you're not God!— JBinPA
Bleed green forever and the rest of the Vick apologists and Kolb haters have to resort to name-calling because you have nothing else. This is not a legal matter, it's an ethical matter, which is probably a foreign concept to you. Lurie said "zero margin for error." I'm calling him out on that. Being the subject of an out-of-state party that attracts former associates with guns is well past that margin. Aside from that, he stinks as a QB, which is the main reason why the Eagles could not get rid of him despite their efforts and his.- When Lurie said there was no margin for error he meant that he defines the margin and the error-like weak hypocites like himself.— Ballgame
- HEY hemtri, if that is all you can come up with and b***h about then you can kiss my A**, and watch Vick play football, as for the rest of you (i.e. eaglehanatic) GET A LIFE— will69
- If BABY ARM Didn't have no got dam BABY ARM, Mike Vick woulda been toast by now, #7 Will be your, OUR, starter QB this season! :P— BooDuhBud
