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 Fallen NFL star Michael Vick is scheduled to be released from prison this week -- sometime Wednesday (May 20) -- but he won't exactly be a free man.
After leaving prison walls, he will undergo the final phase of his 23-month sentence related to dogfighting, in which he will be confined to his Hampton, Virginia home on house arrest, only being allowed to leave for work.
His work will be a full-time construction job, reports ESPN, and he'll likely be allowed about five hours a week for other court-approved activities.
Less than 5% of federal inmates are transferred directly from prison to home confinement. Most are transferred to a halfway house, but beds in Vick's area were all full.
Permissible activities for inmates on home confinement typically include medical appointments, religious obligations and meetings with probation officials. No dinners out, no visiting friends, and definitely no bars or night clubs.
Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for his role in the operation and financing of the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting ring. As a result of the conviction, he was suspended from play in the NFL.
He's spent the past 19 months in prison, and is scheduled to remain under home confinement until late July.
Some in the sports community have begun to call for his reinstatement. However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has not determined the potential reinstatement process for Vick just yet. Goodell says he'll have to prove he's remorseful for his actions.
"I think that's going to be up to Michael," Goodell told the Associated Press this week. "Michael's going to have to demonstrate to myself and the general public and to a lot of people, did he learn anything from this experience? Does he regret what happened? Does he feel that he can be a positive influence going forward? Those are questions that I would like to see when I sit with him."
Until then, he'll be working for $10/hour as a full-time construction worker. At least, until July.
The Humane Society of the United States says Michael Vick wants to work with the group on a program aimed at eradicating dogfighting among urban teens.
Humane Society president, Wayne Pacelle, told the AP that he met with Vick while he was in prison, saying the football player's legal team had approached the animal-rights group.
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