Things are not looking good for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick; earlier today one of his co-defendants in a federal dog-fighting case pleaded guilty.

Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton VA, entered a guilty plea in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, and pledged to fully cooperate with the government’s prosecution of Vick in an interstate dog-fighting enterprise known as “Bad Newz Kennels,” operated out of Vick’s property in rural Surry County.

“The ‘Bad Newz Kennels’ operation and gambling monies were almost exclusively funded by Vick,” reads a summary of facts supporting the plea agreement and signed by Taylor.

Taylor had originally pleaded not-guilty along with Vick and two-other co-defendants Thursday before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

In changing his plea to guilty, Taylor has waived his right to appeal. He told Hudson that he understands that he is now a convicted felon.

The plea deal requires Taylor to testify against Vick and his two other co-defendants if he is called upon to do so. In exchange, Taylor cannot get a harsher sentence or face any new charges based on any new information he provides.

Additional charges are possible for Vick and the other two defendants.

Taylor claimed that he was not promised any specific sentence in exchange for his cooperation.

“You’re pleading guilty, and taking your chances, right?” Hudson asked. Taylor said “yes.”

Hudson went on to ask Taylor if he had agreed to cooperate fully with the United States to which he again replied, “yes.”

In his first interview since his indictment with Atlanta radio station V-103, Vick called his current legal predicament “a crazy situation” and said he hopes to return to the gridiron soon.

However, Vick acknowledged that, “there are a lot of things that need to be worked out.” “I’ve been (in Atlanta) for the last seven years of my life. I would love to come back,” Vick said via telephone to radio personality Porsche Foxx. “But it remains to be seen.”

Along with Vick, Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta GA, and Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach were charged by a federal grand jury last week with organizing brutal dog-fights on a piece of property purchased by Vick in 2001, and also transporting dogs across state lines.

According to the indictment, Taylor discovered the site that eventually became the Bad Newz Kennels where pit-bulls were housed, trained, fought and killed. Taylor is also accused of helping to buy pit-bulls and of executing at least two dogs “who did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions…by shooting one dog and electrocuting another.”

Taylor has said that he, Peace and Phillips took part in executing dogs that didn’t perform well. He did not, however mention Vick as a participant in the executions.

He does mention that Vick along with Peace and Phillips attended dog-fights in other states on at least four occasions, and that Vick sponsored dog-fights at his property on several occasions between 2002 and 2004.

Taylor said he left the operation after a dispute with Phillips in 2004.

The remaining three defendants will go to trial Nov. 26. Taylor will be sentenced Dec. 14…

Vick is one of NFL’s highest paid athletes. I’m usually prepared for such a high profile case to end nicely for the defendant. But after today, I’m not so sure.

As an animal-lover, and a vegetarian, I have no sympathy for someone who would commit such atrocities on helpless animals. However, every American is entitled to a fair trial. So I’ll wait it out for a little bit before I throw any stones.

That’s the stance that Norfolk VA-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has taken, along with Rev. Al Sharpton and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.

As a Virginian, I feel the need to say something about the way Surry County dropped the ball. If the FEDs hadn’t gotten involved, a case probably would have never materialized on a local level.

I’m also a Falcons fan, and even if Vick is found not guilty-I will have a hard time supporting the team if he returns to the field in uniform.

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