What's next for Michael Vick after agreeing to plea?

Michael Vick Pleads Guilty • Vick formally enters guilty plea to dogfighting • Text of Vick's post-hearing apology • McCANN: What sentence will Vick get? • Monumental day in store for Falcons • NFL suspends Vick after he files plea • DOHRMANN: What exactly did Vick admit? • McCann: Judge still plays key role in Vick case • CNN: Grim future for most fighting dogs • NAACP thinks Vick should be able to return • KING: Hard to imagine upcoming season • BANKS: NFL personnel gurus on Vick's future • Athletes prosecuted by federal government

Sports Illustrated investigative reporter George Dohrmann has been following the Michael Vick case for several months. His first story on the investigation appeared in the June 4 issue. SI.com caught up with Dohrmann after Vick agreed to plead guilty to federal dogfighting charges.

SI.com: Michael Vick has accepted a deal. What is he looking at in terms of jail time?

Dohrmann: Details of the plea agreement won't be made public until next Monday, although it is possible information will leak out before then. Earlier reports said prosecutors were seeking 18-36 months and Vick's legal team was hoping for a year or less.

SI.com: Why did Vick take the deal?

Dohrmann: When co-defendants Quanis Phillips, Purnell Peace, and Tony Taylor pled guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy changes and agreed to testify against Vick, that made it seven witnesses for the government who could say Vick participated in dogfighting. Peace and Phillips could describe how Vick executed dogs as recently as last spring. Also, the government was preparing a superseding indictment that would have included racketeering charges against Vick, which carry a tougher penalty than the dogfighting charges.

SI.com: Could the judge impose a stiffer sentence?

Dohrmann: Usually judges stick to the guidelines, although the judge in Vick's case -- judge Henry Hudson -- let it be known at the plea hearing for Peace and Phillips last Friday that he could sentence them to five years in prison and they couldn't then get out of their pleas (or appeal). If Vick agrees to plead guilty to the same single charge as his friends (federal dogfighting conspiracy), he faces the same quandary. He might get the sentence his lawyers negotiated with prosecutors or he might get more. Hudson won't make the final decision until the sentencing hearing, the date of which we won't know until Monday.

SI.com: When would Vick likely go to jail? Where?

Dohrmann: It depends on the sentencing date, perhaps as soon as early next year. The Federal Bureau of Prisons will assign Vick to a prison and also determine the level of security he will require. There are two federal penitentiaries in Virginia -- a maximum-security prison in Jonesville and a low-security facility in Petersburg -- but it is too soon to say where Vick will serve his time.

SI.com: Will he face state charges in Virginia?

Dohrmann: Gerald Poindexter, the district attorney in Surrey County, said last week that he would pursue charges against Vick at the state level. There is nothing in the plea agreement or anything the feds can say that can stop Poindexter from filing state charges if he so chooses. Animal-rights groups would love Poindexter to follow through since dogfighting is felony in Virginia. If convicted on all counts, Vick could face 40 years in prison. Poindexter is a wild card, however, and often talks out of both sides of his mouth. Don't be surprised if he doesn't file charges against Vick, a popular local athlete.

SI.com: What's the NFL's reaction?

Dohrmann: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will probably wait until Vick's sentencing hearing before announcing what action the league will take. Expect Vick to be suspended at least one season. But if the commissioner feels the gambling aspect of Vick's crimes is as serious as some have said, it could be indefinite, which would allow the NFL to monitor Vick's behavior and consider it when making a decision about his future. The major question is does the suspension start with this season or does it begin after he gets out of prison? Either way, Vick probably won't play in the NFL until 2010, if at all.

SI.com: What's the reaction of the Humane Society of the United States?

Dohrmann: I talked to John Goodwin of the HSUS and he said the organization was overjoyed about the news of Vick's plea agreement. The HSUS hope this serves as a deterrent to dogfighters around the country and particularly athletes involved in the activity. What Goodwin can't say now is what the organization will do if Vick tries to return to the NFL someday. "We will certainly make teams aware of what [Vick] has done," Goodwin says. He added that Vick could take steps to assure that the HSUS doesn't push for him to never play again, but Goodwin wouldn't say exactly what he'd have to do.

SI.com: Will Vick ever be forgiven? If so, what will it take?

Dohrmann: As I wrote last week, Vick's fate rests in the hands of NFL fans. Given that horrible nature of Vick's crimes, how he allegedly executed dogs, and given that his activities reportedly went on for six years, some people will never believe Vick is sincere if he apologizes for what he did. But sports fans have also proven to be a forgiving bunch, so if in a few years fans feel Vick has really suffered, they might open their arms to him again.

SI.com: When was the last time we've seen an active athlete fall from grace like this?

Dohrmann: It's unprecedented. In a matter of months, Vick has gone from one of the top 10 most popular athletes in the NFL at his prime to persona non grata.

SI.com: Will this case deter athletes from participating in dog fighting?

Dohrmann: It has to. Athletes who have participated in dogfighting now know that even an athlete with the financial resources of Vick can get busted. They also know that this activity is on the radar of law enforcement, media and fans, and through Vick they have seen how animal abuse stirs fans like little else.