A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday Michael Vick can keep $16.2 million in bonuses that his former team, the Atlanta Falcons, sought to recover when he was imprisoned on a dog fighting conviction.
Vick, now a seldom-used backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, pleaded guilty in August 2007 to bankrolling a dog fighting ring and spent 18 months in jail.
Until Vick’s reinstatement earlier this season, the National Football League suspended him indefinitely without pay and initiated a grievance procedure allowing the Falcons to recover some of the bonus money he was paid.
In 2004, Vick signed a mammoth contract through 2014 that called for bonuses of $22.5 million based on him making the team’s 2005 roster and another $7 million for 2006.
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