Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, who initially was cleared of responsibility for the shooting of dogfighting codefendant Quanis Phillips at Vick’s 30th birthday party and now has lost his “no interest” status, has issued a statement professing his innocence.
“I had nothing to do with the incident,” Vick said, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Of course, Vick said the same thing once a dog farm was discovered on his property in rural Virginia.
His far more significant problem continues to be the potential probation violation arising from any association with Phillips or any other convicted felon.
UPDATE: We misinterpreted McLane’s tweet. There was more to the statement, but the gist of it is consistent with the eight words quoted above. “On June 25, 2010 I attended a birthday party held in my honor at The Guadalajara’s Restaurant in Virginia Beach, Virginia. After I left the event, I learned that a man was shot outside the restaurant. I want to assure everyone that I had nothing to do with that incident. I left the restaurant prior to it occurring and did not witness what happened. Following the incident, I reported it to the Philadelphia Eagles and to representatives of Commissioner Roger Goodell of the NFL. In addition, I cooperated with and answered any and all questions from Law Enforcement officials investigating this matter. My statements, from the beginning, explained that I was not there at the time of the shooting and had no knowledge of the events surrounding it. I have been completely truthful and fully cooperative from the very beginning and will continue to cooperate with Law Enforcement and the NFL as this investigation continues.”