Falcons Release Mike Vick

The Atlanta Falcons, unable to find a taker via trade for quarterback Mike Vick, finally have decided to call it quits. Vick was released by the team on Friday morning. “We spent a significant amount of time this off-season trying to trade him to another NFL club, and we had some conversations with a few teams, but nothing materialized,” G.M. Thomas Dimitroff said in an interview on the team’s official web site. “At this point, we feel releasing Michael is best for him and best for us. Our entire organization sincerely hopes that Michael will continue to focus his efforts on making positive changes in his life, and we wish him well in that regard.” And so Vick now becomes an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team. It’s unlikely, however, that anyone will sign him unless and until he’s reinstated by the league. UPDATE: As of 10:02 a.m. EDT, ESPN inexplicably continues to report that the Falcons “will release” Vick later this morning, claiming credit for breaking the story of the coming move. Attention, Bristol . . . they’ve already cut him. Moreover, by the time ESPN was “reporting” the news, the Falcons already had announced it.