Michael Vick

There was Michael Vick, dressed in a brown prison jumpsuit, sitting at a metal table in a crammed courtyard at a federal penitentiary in Kansas. It was May. Weeks before he would be released after 18 months of confinement for his role in a dogfighting ring that killed and maimed. Months before this Thursday, when the Philadelphia Eagles surprisingly signed him to a two-year contract. That day, far from public view, he was seeking something. A measure of forgiveness. A path by which he could make amends.

Your head says Michael Vick has served his time, has suffered some punishment for his horrific involvement in a dogfighting ring and that people who have committed more serious crimes are allowed to leave prison and go back to work.

It's really no mystery why NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asked Tony Dungy to continue to mentor Michael Vick as the quarterback makes his controversial transition back to the league. Since retiring as Indianapolis Colts coach in January, Dungy has devoted most of his waking hours to his prison ministry, helping inmates reshape their lives through spirituality. Now, he has turned his attention to Vick. In fact, without Dungy vouching for him, there's no way Vick -- who spent 18 months behind bars for running a dogfighting operation -- could have come back.

He's out of prison, back in the NFL, and now Michael Vick is going to star in his own television series. The quarterback, who took his first regular-season pro snap just two weeks ago after serving 18 months in prison, is partnering with BET for a new eight-part docu-series scheduled to air early next year. The program, tentatively titled "The Michael Vick Project," spotlights his controversial comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles while also examining his tumultuous past -- including his troubled childhood and his 2007 arrest for running a dogfighting ring.

In the latest sign that the NFL is trying to give Michael Vick another chance, fans can order on NFLShop.com a Philadelphia Eagles dog jersey with Vick's name written on the back. A New York Daily News reporter successfully purchased the "custom pet jersey," making it clear that Vick isn't on the league's list of words and names shoppers cannot use for customized jerseys. Fans may be worried about the message, but they shouldn't worry about their pets' safety. NFLShop.com says the dog jersey is made of "breathable polyester micromesh fabric and has a stylish and comfort-fitted V-neck cut."

Jailed quarterback Michael Vick can keep all but $3.75 million of the nearly $20 million in bonus money he received from the Atlanta Falcons after a ruling Monday by a federal judge. The Falcons sought to recover the bonuses after Vick pleaded guilty to federal charges in a dogfighting operation. The bonuses were paid from 2004 to 2007. But U.S.

For Tim Racer and Donna Reynolds, the dog rescues started with an open-door policy. Cruising around Chicago on winter nights, they pulled up beside bedraggled strays and swung open the car door. If the animal didn't skitter away, if it wasn't too beaten down to contemplate jumping inside, they figured, there was a chance to save it. Often, their hearts got the best of them. They bolted from the car and chased down dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Vodka on ice and driving while intoxicated took on new meaning last week when an employee at Kingsville Arena in Canada was arrested and charged with drunk driving while behind the wheel of a Zamboni. Witnesses said the driver, a 34-year-old woman, was driving erratically while resurfacing the arena ice, bumping into the boards and missing large patches of ice, evidently having fallen asleep at the wheel. According to the Windsor Star, the woman had a "mickey of vodka" in her pocket.

Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty Tuesday at Sussex, Va., to a state dogfighting charge, a move that could make him eligible to leave prison early and potentially speed up a return to pro football. Vick, 28, arrived wearing wrist and ankle shackles with his gray suit, but the restraints were removed by the time he entered his plea. The one-time Atlanta Falcons star also pleaded not guilty to a count of cruelty to animals, but that charge was dropped under his plea deal.

For the third time in nine months, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Vick surrendered a water bottle to security at Miami International Airport that smelled like marijuana and contained a substance in a hidden compartment. He was not arrested and was allowed to board an AirTran flight that landed in Atlanta before noon Wednesday.