ATLANTA, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- The head of the NAACP in Atlanta says Falcons quarterback Michael Vick should get a chance to play in the NFL again, despite his involvement in dog-fighting.
"Whatever the courts demand as a punishment for what he has done, once he has paid his debt to society, he should be treated like any other person in the NFL," R.L. White told reporters in Atlanta Wednesday.
Vick is scheduled to be sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., on charges of conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and sponsoring a dog in an animal-fighting venture.
He will accept a government-imposed plea after three co-defendants agreed to do the same thing.
The other men told prosecutors Vick financed the operation, known as “Bad News Kennelz,” and drowned dogs that performed poorly in fights.
The charges are punishable by a five-year prison sentence and a fine of $250,000.
The plea could cut the jail time for Vick and the other defendants.
