On Monday, a judge sentenced Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to 23 months in prison, close to the maximum penalty, for helping to finance a dogfighting operation and destroying dogs that didn't fight aggressively enough. According to CNN, the nearly two-year sentence for the embattled NFL star means he won't likely be eligible to play again in the league until 2010, assuming a team wants to take a chance on him at that point.

Vick, 27, who still faces a jury trial on state dogfighting charges in April, turned himself in on November 19 to start serving his term at the state jail in Warsaw, Virginia. He will also face three years of probation on the federal charges, once he is released from prison. CNN reported that U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson said he received thousands of calls in support of Vick, including ones from baseball great Hank Aaron and boxing legend George Foreman, but he was not convinced that Vick had fully understood his actions, which is why he went for the higher end of the 18-24 months recommended by prosecutors. Vick, dressed in a black and white prison jumpsuit, reportedly approached Hudson during the sentencing hearing and apologized to fans, family and children for his involvement in the operation and said he is willing to deal with the consequences of his actions, which could have landed him a maximum of five years in prison.

During the 90-minute hearing, CNN reported that animal-rights protesters lined the outside of the courthouse, some carrying signs with pictures of dogs and messages such as "Dogs deserve justice" and "Report dogfighters." In August, as part of a plea agreement, Vick admitted to bankrolling the Bad Newz Kennels, a dogfighting operation, on his 15-acre property in southeastern Virginia. He also said he provided money for bets on some of the fights, but never shared in any of the winnings.

In court, it was revealed that approximately eight dogs that failed to fight hard enough or who lost matches were executed by such methods as electrocution, hanging or drowning. Some of the co-defendants in the case told prosecutors that Vick participated in the execution of the dogs.

Hudson sentenced two of the other co-defendants in the case to 18 and 21 months, and a third is to be sentenced on Friday. All three cut deals with the prosecution to testify against Vick. All four men still face Virginia state charges of torturing and killing dogs and promoting dogfights, felonies that could carry five-year maximum sentences.

The Falcons have suspended Vick indefinitely and are expected to release him from his 10-year, $130 million contract next summer, as they attempt to recoup $20 million from his deal, according to CNN. The case has already caused financial problems for the quarterback, who was one of the highest-paid players in the NFL: He defaulted on a $1.3 million bank loan for a wine store and faces lawsuits from two other banks seeking repayment of $4.5 million in loans and lines of credit. The quarterback has also put his home in the Atlanta area on the market for $4.5 million, and the Virginia home where the dogfighting kennel was based is on the auction block with an assessed value of $750,000.

Vick is on an indefinite suspension from the NFL, and considering that he won't be released from prison until October of 2009 — assuming he doesn't get additional prison time for the state charges — his future in the league is unclear.

[This story was originally published at 10:53 am E.T. on 12.10.2007]