PRO FOOTBALL: Vick back in Va. for plea deal

Michael Vick has returned to Virginia to face state dogfighting charges.

The former Falcons quarterback is being held in protective custody at the Hopewell Regional Jail, superintendent Darnley Hodge said Friday.

Vick arrived Thursday from the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., where he’s serving a 23-month sentence for a dogfighting conspiracy conviction.

Vick is isolated from the jail’s approximately 1,200 inmates but will be treated like any other prisoner, Hodge said.

Vick, 28, is due to appear Tuesday in Surry County Circuit Court, where he’s expected to plead guilty to two felony counts in a deal with prosecutors that calls for a suspended sentence and probation.

The plea would resolve his last pending criminal charges, and his lawyers hope would make him eligible for early release into a halfway house. Only prisoners with no outstanding charges are eligible to participate in that program.

Vick is scheduled to be released from Leavenworth on July 20, 2009, according to the Bureau of Prisons Web site.

What remains unknown is when, or if, Vick will be allowed to resume his NFL career. He was suspended indefinitely by commissioner Roger Goodell, who has not said whether he will allow Vick to play again.

Vick was convicted of the federal charges in August 2007 when he admitted to bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in rural Surry County. He also admitted to participating in the killing of several underperforming dogs. Three co-defendants also pleaded guilty in the case.

> JETS: Rookie quarterback Erik Ainge has been suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on steroids and related substances. Ainge is on injured reserve and out for the season with a foot injury.

> 49ERS: Offensive coordinator Mike Martz has been fined $20,000 by the NFL for criticism of the officiating at the end of San Francisco’s 29-24 loss in Arizona on Nov. 10.

> VIKINGS: Defensive end Ray Edwards was fined $25,000 by the league for two hits in the game against Tampa Bay on Sunday.

> TITANS: Wide receiver Brandon Jones was fined $15,000 by the league for excessive celebration after a touchdown. Jones’s TD celebration against Jacksonville involved him simulating being arrested by dropping to his knees, putting his hands behind his head and then behind his back as he stood up and walked off. … The Titans are shorthanded at cornerback heading into Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. The Titans were already without Eric King, who broke a forearm last week against Jacksonville, and will be without Reynaldo Hill (hip) and perhaps starter Nick Harper (foot) this week.

> BENGALS: Starting cornerback Johnathan Joseph will miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. … Wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco was back at work, a day after being sent home before the Pittsburgh game for disciplinary reasons. He was late for a team meeting Wednesday night and got into a shouting match with coaches.

> COLTS: Coach Tony Dungy said there’s a good chance cornerback Kelvin Hayden will return to the lineup for Sunday night’s game at San Diego. He has missed six games with knee surgery. The status of safety Bob Sanders likely will be a game-time decision.

> COWBOYS: Suspended cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones can join the team Monday and play Dec. 7 against Pittsburgh —- but only if he stays on his best behavior. Goodell issued a brief statement confirming the details of Jones’ return, noting that it can only happen “if he avoids any further incidents and fully complies with each and every condition that has been established for him.”