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[SIZE=+2]Cowboys: Phillips says Vick not a 'bad person'
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Web Posted: 08/21/2007 10:41 PM CDT
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer[/SIZE] Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said Tuesday he doesn't think Michael Vick is a "bad person" even though the disgraced Atlanta Falcons quarterback has admitted his involvement in a dogfighting ring, a crime Phillips called "atrocious." Phillips was the Falcons' defensive coordinator for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. He served as the team's interim head coach for the final three games of the 2003 season after the club fired Dan Reeves.
Phillips, speaking to reporters in Irving, described Vick as a hard worker who was "honest" with his coaches.
"We have a lot of those guys (on the Cowboys)," said Phillips, 60. "I respected him that way, but certainly what he did, nobody can ..."
Phillips said he had no idea when he was with the Falcons that Vick was involved in such a heinous crime.
"You just don't know what people do off the field," Phillips said. "He made an awful, awful mistake, and obviously he's going to pay for it.
"But I don't think Mike Vick is a bad person. He made a bad life choice, certainly."
Vick said through his attorney Monday he will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges. His admission likely means prison time, with the maximum amount being five years.
"He put himself in that situation," Cowboys nose tackle Jason Ferguson said. "It's kind of worse than he thought. I guess he was thinking it wasn't that bad, and all of the sudden, everybody's looking at him like, 'You killed dogs.'
"It's a little harsh," Ferguson said of the jail time Vick faces, "but at the same time, he deserves it for what he's done. It's a crime, no matter what."
Several players said they hope Vick gets a second chance in the NFL.
"I don't know him personally," Ferguson said. "I just know he's a brother to all of us in the league, so we root for him."
torsborn@express-news.net
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Web Posted: 08/21/2007 10:41 PM CDT
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer[/SIZE] Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said Tuesday he doesn't think Michael Vick is a "bad person" even though the disgraced Atlanta Falcons quarterback has admitted his involvement in a dogfighting ring, a crime Phillips called "atrocious." Phillips was the Falcons' defensive coordinator for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. He served as the team's interim head coach for the final three games of the 2003 season after the club fired Dan Reeves.
Phillips, speaking to reporters in Irving, described Vick as a hard worker who was "honest" with his coaches.
"We have a lot of those guys (on the Cowboys)," said Phillips, 60. "I respected him that way, but certainly what he did, nobody can ..."
Phillips said he had no idea when he was with the Falcons that Vick was involved in such a heinous crime.
"You just don't know what people do off the field," Phillips said. "He made an awful, awful mistake, and obviously he's going to pay for it.
"But I don't think Mike Vick is a bad person. He made a bad life choice, certainly."
Vick said through his attorney Monday he will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges. His admission likely means prison time, with the maximum amount being five years.
"He put himself in that situation," Cowboys nose tackle Jason Ferguson said. "It's kind of worse than he thought. I guess he was thinking it wasn't that bad, and all of the sudden, everybody's looking at him like, 'You killed dogs.'
"It's a little harsh," Ferguson said of the jail time Vick faces, "but at the same time, he deserves it for what he's done. It's a crime, no matter what."
Several players said they hope Vick gets a second chance in the NFL.
"I don't know him personally," Ferguson said. "I just know he's a brother to all of us in the league, so we root for him."
torsborn@express-news.net