Exclusive! Eyewitness Account from Vick's Courtroom Plea

Today, Mr. Michael Dwayne Vick finally entered his guilty plea. He also commented for the first time on his case. Someone said that he must have been reading my blog because he was saying all the things he needed to say if he ever wants to play in the NFL again. Watch the man apologize to the public and judge for yourself. My favorite part is at the end when all 900 reporters try to ask a question at the same time. Can't fault them for trying.

A good friend of mine in Richmond actually attended today's hearing in person. She said it so offhand, I thought she was joking. In the interest of protecting her anonymity, here is our redacted (and spellchecked) Google chat conversation about the Vick hearing:

Friend: i sat in on the plea hearing today
he looked so sad
me: you did?
Friend: i know it was crazy
me: i write about this on my blog
Friend: it was a typical plea hearing nothing exciting
he is set for sentencing on dec 10
me: ok, first off, that's not true
Friend: there were crowds lining the street though -- protesters and supporters
me: this is a spectacle
Friend: yeah but it was pretty much by the book in the court room
me: would you mind doing a short little paragraph
me: :-)
Friend: when he left the court people were chanting but we couldn't make out what they were saying
Friend: his mother, brother, girlfriend and other family members were there
the court was mostly filled with reports
reporters
i can say people were lined up as early as 7:20 when i got in to work today
me: how did he look?
Friend: hard to describe - first thing that comes to mind is that he looked like he gave up
sort of accepting the situation and making the best of it
at the end he did turn around and lay a comforting hand on the girlfriend who was crying -- sort of like it's ok
he also looked sort of ashamed
me: did he look near tears himself?
Friend: no
he looked like he was trying to put up a strong front but you could feel the disappointment and sadness - it was heavy
odd thing is that it seemed like no one in the court room cared but his family and one guy who came in his jersey -- don't know who he was but -- he walked by and told him to keep his head up
me: any teammates or friends around?
or people that looked like football players, etc
Friend: umm not that i could tell -- but the court room only allowed a limited number others watch on closed caption tv in an over flow room so there could have been
me: you were in the actual room or in the overflow room?
Friend: courtroom but gotta run talk to you later
me: ok
cool
thanks!
take care
Friend: everyone else was there to get the story

Orson Welles once said “We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.” So even though millions of people have watched him on TV, hundreds have played against him, three friends turned c0-conspirators have apparently run a dogfighting ring with him, today, Michael Vick is all alone.

As my friend noted, he will be sentenced on December 10 (the same day the Falcons play the New Orleans Saints - I knew the connection was more than passing), and then the fiasco begins again. This Washington Post columnist says that he should never play in the NFL again. I say, as I said before, that the NFL will never go that far, and Vick has helped his case and been as remorseful as they need him to be to make it acceptable to let him play again. (Exhibit A: Falcons' President/GM Rich McKay's and owner Arthur Blank's statements earlier today about Vick). I expect to see him return just in time for fantasy football in the 2009 season (Jemele Hill says 2010, but I'm more "optimistic.").

To Vick, I hope that you meant what you said in court today. I am rooting for you now, even when it may not be popular to do so, because I believe everyone deserves a second chance, and I think you deserve a chance to redeem yourself and your name. And rest assured that if you don't start surrounding yourself with better people, you will be right back here all over again.

Alone.