Micheal Vicks Says He's Sorry

At this stage of a story that certainly rivals any tragedy of Shakespeare?s day - it remains hard to tell if Michael Vick means what he says.

He has nothing to lose. His freedom will soon be taken from him. And just minutes after pleading guilty to financing a brutal and deadly dog fighting operation on his Virginia property, Michael Vick made his first public comments surrounding the case that will almost certainly cost the suspended quarterback millions of dollars.

Before dozens of cameras, Vick apologized for the lies he told his bosses with the Atlanta Falcons. He initially denied having any involvement in a dog fighting ring, but now admits to not only financing - but endorsing the killing of poorly performing dogs.

Retired Washington Redskin George Starke spent 11 years on the offensive line protecting Washington quarterbacks for more than a decade. Starke tells 9NEWS NOW that professional athletes live in a dream world and need to remain on the straight and narrow in order to live a life that so many others can only imagine living.

And then their was Michael Vick on Religion - "I'm upset with myself, and, you know through this situation I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God. And I think that's the right thing to do as of right now."

And while some may doubt Vick's new-found faith, other's say it's not for us to judge - at least on this matter.

Reverend Bill Finch of Rockville's St. Raphael Church tells 9NEWS NOW it's in difficult and trying times when many people seek help and forgiveness in Jesus and that God is in no position to turn his back on anyone seeking forgiveness.

And whether he knew it or acknowledged before all of this, Michael Vick admits he was, and in some aspects may still be, perceived as a role model to children. Children he now concedes he's let down.

Michael Vick could be sentenced to as much as five years in prison when he is sentenced on December 10th. But it is more likely he will receive between a year to a year and half behind bars when he returns to the Federal Courthouse in Richmond.