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Court Affirms Vick’s $16M Pay Day

Appeals court agrees Vick can keep $16M in bonuses

Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009 | Updated 5:36 PM EST

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Smile Michael. You just got paid -- big time.

A federal appeals court backed the judge who ruled against the NFL and let quarterback Michael Vick keep more than $16 million in roster bonuses from the Atlanta Falcons.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday affirmed Judge David Doty's order saying Vick had already earned the bonuses before his dogfighting conviction, so the money wasn't subject to forfeiture.

Vick served 18 months in prison and is now with the Eagles.

Doty has long handled matters arising from the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. After Doty ruled in the Vick bonus case, the NFL accused him of bias and sought to end his oversight of its contract with the players union.

The NFL didn't say whether the league planned a further appeal, but the 8th Circuit upheld Doty's ruling on Vick's bonuses in large part because it found the contract's forfeiture language ambiguous, according to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello.

"That is something that we will seek to change at the bargaining table to ensure that bonus payments are paid to players who comply with their contracts and perform on the field," Aiello said.

The contract should remain under Doty's oversight, the appeals court said.

More: The full 8th Circuit's opinion