(NNPA) - Michael Vick, the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback who served 21 months in a Leavenworth, Kan. prison on dog-fighting convictions, was released May 20.
Evading media, Vick and his fiancée, Kijafa Frink, immediately traveled to his Hampton, Va. home. There he will remain under court-ordered supervision, serving the last two months of his 23-month sentence. According to the Associated Press, Vick, Frink, Woodard and Vick's security team, traveled 19 hours by car to Virginia. There, he will live with his girlfriend and their children.
Speculations are rampant over whether Vick will be allowed reinstatement into the NFL. That decision is likely the next move as he completes his sentence.
"It's a happy day for him to be starting this process," said his attorney, Larry Woodward, in a statement to the media. "He looks forward to meeting the challenges he has to meet."
According to reports, Felicia Ponce, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, said 28-year-old Vick must adhere to strict rules under home incarceration, including a mandatory curfew and other rules curtailed specifically for Vick. His probation officer can pay unexpected visits. He is on probation for three years.
He must also maintain employment. For now, he will work for $10 an hour at a construction firm, W.M. Jordan Co. He will also perform volunteer community service, according to his attorney.
The new pay is a far cry from the 10-year $130 million contract that he'd received from Falcons' owner Arthur Blank. Vick, the highest-paid player in the league, had to give up the contract when he was convicted. Blank has said Vick deserves a second chance.
If his suspension is lifted, he could legally be contracted by another team. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said he will review Vick's suspension status at the completion of his criminal sentence.
As of NNPA deadline Monday, Vick had not made an official statement to the press due to federal restrictions. Under his federal sentence, he must still receive clearance for interviews.
Goodell said he will be looking for sincere contrition and commitment to personal change before lifting Vick's suspension.
