DaytonDailyNews.com

CINCINNATI — As sports celebrities go, Michael Vick is an Atlanta icon, bigger than 21-acre Centennial Olympic Park and taller than the Bank of America Plaza, a 1,023-foot skyscraper located in the city's Midtown section.

He's a lot of things to a lot of people — friend, teammate, colleague and competitor — but the Falcons quarterback has a dark side.

Vick's attorneys said the quarterback will plead guilty Monday to federal dogfighting charges in a Virginia courtroom. That night, protestors are expected to envelope the Georgia Dome when the Cincinnati Bengals face the Falcons in a nationally televised preseason game.

"My heart goes out to him," said Bengals linebacker Ed Hartwell, who was Vick's teammate the past two years in Atlanta. "I'm praying for the brother. He's going through a lot, and he'll go through a lot more. He's just got to stay strong and get through this. Hopefully, the league will let him play again.

"The city loses a great man that it really leaned on, and the team loses the same thing — a great player. He's a big figure in both aspects."

Held accountable

Bengals kicker Shayne Graham, who has been Vick's friend since their playing days at Virginia Tech, scolded his college teammate.

"He was always a good guy to me," Graham said. "But I love animals. I love dogs. I hate that it was him that was (linked to dogfighting), and that it happened in the first place for the animals' sake and for everyone who cares about animals as well.

"My heart goes out to his family for what they're going through and will have to go through — the embarrassment, the anguish and the hurt. Hopefully, he'll be able to make the best of the remnants of what happens afterward. You hate to see it happen to anybody. But you've got to be accountable."

'I love Vick'

Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson stared into a television camera and didn't mince words.

"I love Vick," he said. "Everybody makes mistakes. The president of the United States made a mistake. To everybody that gets to see this: All y'all have made mistakes. Maybe not as big as this one. But we all make mistakes.

"We all have grown to love Vick the football player. I still love Vick the football player. I love Vick the person. He made a mistake. I'm going to support him regardless.

"And he will be back, man. You know he'll be back playing. He's one of the greatest athletes to ever play the game — ever. He'll be back, and he'll still be able to do the same things he's done on the field."

Charismatic figure

Bengals tight end Reggie Kelly, an ex-Falcon, was never deep into Vick's personal life. Kelly never knew the Vick described in a letter by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as engaging in "conduct (that) was not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible."

"When I was in Atlanta, Mike was shy, but everybody loved to be around him," Kelly said. "He had that type of personality. He didn't say much. But he definitely had a certain presence about him that attracted people around him.

"I hate that this has happened. You have a great person, a great player, and we're definitely going to miss him. I'm sorry for the Atlanta Falcons. This is a tremendous blow to the organization and a tremendous loss for the NFL. But I hope they work it out where he gets an opportunity to get his life together and be able to play again.

"I'm not sure if it's going to hold a dark cloud on his name, but people around the world have made mistakes and bounced back. I pray that he bounces back, too."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com

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