ALWAYS BREAKS OUT THE TY ON HOLIDAYS
The Eagles have a different take on the "confrontation" that involved Michael Vick that took place before a shooting at a Virginia Beach nightclub that was hosting the quarterback's 30th birthday party.
Virginia Commonwealth's attorney Harvey L. Bryant told WAVY-TV 10 in Virginia Beach that Vick had been involved in one of several "confrontations" at Guadalajara restaurant prior to a codefendant in his dogfighting case being shot. The victim, who suffered a leg wound, has been indentified as Quanis Phillips by Vick's lawyer, Larry Woodward.
""The investigation shows he was not physically present when the shooting took place," Bryant said. "There were some confrontations between individuals and between groups and Michael Vick was involved in one of those confrontations.
"[It was] a confrontation that involved shouting, words passing, some bumping."
Bryant added that Vick had to be restrained by his friends, who then put Vick into a limo, but Vick got out to again confront someone.
"In terms of just using good judgment, at one point, he got in the limousine, and should have left at that point," Bryant said. "He got out of the limousine, and with the help of several friends, he was returned to to the limousine and left."
An Eagles source, however, labels Bryant's depiction of the incident as a "mischaracterization." The team has conducted its own investigation and has yet to take a final stance on Vick's future with the team. The NFL is also in the fact-gathering stage.
Virginia Beach police said Tuesday that they believed they had identified the party's shooter but could not go forward with charges because Phillips would not cooperate.
Bryant later tampered his earlier statements in an interview with the Associated Press. He said Vick was not involved in the shooting and left the nightclub "in the 3 to 5 minute range" before it occurred. Bryant would not go into detail with AP about the confrontation, but said there was no evidence the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was involved in "anything that would amount to aggressive or assaultive conduct."
"He's an athlete and an entertainer, but he's also a human being, and things that would tick you and I off would tick him off," Bryant said. "But he extricated himself from those things and left with the help and encouragement of some of his friends and supporters."
