The heat on Falcons’ Vick is mounting

The clock is running out on Michael Vick.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback, who last month pleaded not guilty to dogfighting conspiracy charges, could strike a plea deal with federal prosecutors today.

He is under increasing pressure to do so, as his three co-defendants prepare to point the finger at him, and prosecutors prepare a so-called superseding indictment -- presumably one including more serious charges -- they have promised to file this month.

One of the four co-defendants last month changed his plea to guilty and agreed to testify against Vick, and two others are scheduled to do likewise today in Richmond, Va. According to various reports, Vick and his team of five lawyers have been in discussions this week with prosecutors, hoping to strike a deal. Prosecutors reportedly have asked Vick’s attorneys for an answer today, although it’s unclear whether that’s a firm deadline.

“I would say this is right out of the prosecutor’s standard playbook,” said Frederick Chockley, a prominent litigator in Northern Virginia. “You have a conspiracy, and you get the conspirators turning on one another. The last man standing is the one who gets it the worst.”

Vick would serve a year or more in prison if he takes the deal from prosecutors, according to a report in Thursday’s edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, citing unnamed sources involved in the negotiations. The deal includes sentencing guidelines of 12 to 18 months in prison, the paper said, with the final say belonging to U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor, said judges in the district typically lean toward longer sentences, and that Hudson “is definitely in that group.”

Tony Taylor of Hampton pleaded guilty to dogfighting-related charges last month and will be sentenced Dec. 14. Co-defendants Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, are scheduled to enter plea agreements this morning.

Sources say that Vick, who was barred from reporting to training camp, wants to resume his NFL career and wants to know what effect a guilty plea would have on his hopes of doing so. But a league source said Thursday that the NFL, which is conducting its own investigation of the quarterback, “will not participate in any negotiations related to a plea bargain” or accelerate its own decision to suit his time schedule.

Vick, who pleaded not guilty last month, is scheduled to go to trial Nov. 26.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who is touring training camps, told reporters Thursday he wants the legal proceedings to run their course before ruling on Vick’s future in the league.

According to Taylor’s plea agreement, Vick not only financed “Bad Newz Kennels” but was involved in gambling on dogfights. Under NFL rules, a player can be banned for life for illegal gambling or associating with gamblers.

The gambling “is certainly an issue,” Goodell said after meeting with the Cleveland Browns. “Law enforcement may be concerned about certain things about this. We may be concerned about other aspects of this. That’s why we want to evaluate what the government has. We don’t know all of the facts on that. Michael’s team may not know all the facts at this point in time.”

sam.farmer@latimes.com