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RICHMOND, Va. — Michael Vick agreed Monday to plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, a deal that leaves the Atlanta Falcons quarterback facing up to 18 months in prison and puts his NFL career in jeopardy.

Vick's planned plea "sends a message that people are taking animal cruelty and animal fighting seriously. Fighting pit bulls is totally inhumane and it's terrible," said Leland Gordon, executive director of the Animal Friends Humane Society in Trenton.

Gordon now hopes Vick follows through with his plan to plead guilty so there isn't a long and drawn-out court case.

"Now we need to wait and see what he gets for sentencing," Gordon said. "Hopefully, he gets some good jail time and a good fine; hopefully, he doesn't get the dogs back, too."

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend Vick be sentenced to between a year and 18 months in prison, according to a government official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms have not yet been made final.

That would be a higher penalty than is usually recommended for first-time convicts, and reflects an attempt by the government to show that animal abusers will receive more than a slap on the wrist for their crimes, the official said.

U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson will have the final say on how much time Vick will ultimately spend in jail.

Vick's plea hearing is Aug. 27.

Defense attorney Billy Martin said Vick reached an agreement with federal prosecutors after consulting with his family during the weekend.

"Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made," Martin said in a statement. "Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter."

The NFL noted in a statement that Vick's admission wasn't in line with what he told commissioner Roger Goodell shortly after he was initially charged. The Falcons said they were "certainly troubled" by news of the plea but would withhold further comment.

Gordon said dogfighting especially has caused great harm to pit bulls and has led to them being banned in many parts of the country.

"Dogfighting is disgusting," he said. "People need to understand that it's not the pit bull, it's the people that have caused animals to be like this."

Staff Writer Denise Wilson contributed to this story.