On Friday the star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons was suspended indefinitely without pay by the National Football League hours after the plea agreement was filed here.

Within the statement of facts, which accompanied the agreement, Vick admitted to funding the dog fighting operation and the gambling associated with it and to being complicit in the killing of at least six dogs that underperformed.

“I was ashamed and totally disappointed in myself, to say the least,” Vick said at a press conference at the Omni hotel here after the hearing. He added: “Dog fighting is a terrible thing. I reject it.”

Vick, 27, faces up to five years in prison on the charges of conspiring to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal-fighting venture. The United States attorney’s office will recommend a lighter sentence, between a year to 18 months, as long as Vick continues to cooperate with authorities. Although the government can argue for a lighter sentence, United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson, who is overseeing the case, is not bound by its recommendation, and Vick cannot appeal his decision.

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