Yeah, it's just dogfighting and gambling, not bank robbery and murder. However, the prosecution will be failing the american people if they do the deal. Why? If the federal prosecutors allow Vick to cop a plea, then it will allow the race card to be played in this case, where there is no justification for it.
FAIR PLAY
At first glance the "deal" seems to be fair to all concerned, and it allows the NFL to get on with their season without the sideshow circus freak lawyers monopolizing the airwaves. What a story it would make to allow Vick an opportunity to possibly salvage what is left of a wasted career, and america loves giving second chances to underdogs (no pun intended). The prosecutors get what they want by using Vick to set an example for other celebrity outlaws and it frees up their time to go after the Tim Donagheys of the world.
WE PAID TO SEE THE HAND
Here is the crux of the problem. If the deal is done, the american people, the ones with the vested interest in this case, don't get to see all the cards. If the case goes to trial, the prosecutors get to put all their cards on the table for the world to see and then we get to decide for ourselves if Michael Vick has been overzealously prosecuted, or if he is indeed a down and dirty bird (pun intended). By the same token, Michael Vick also has the opportunity to once and for all prove to everyone concerned that he in no way was associated with this operation and that he rightfully deserves his career back and his endorsement deals restored.
NEVER ENDING DEBATE
If Vick is allowed to fold his hand and accept a lesser punishment, the public is left holding the bag. The debate about his "real" or "perceived" innocence will rage on indefinitely, and in some circles Vick will be hailed a hero for weird and perverse reasons. When the iron bars clang shut behind Mike and his tenuous career, it will be the opening bell of a 15 round racial bout.
LETTING SLEEPING DOGS LIE
The United States government decided to investigate Vick because it had credible evidence that he was involved in an interstate dogfighting venture. They vigorously pursued the evidence to prove that charge. They spent thousands in taxpayer money to get warrants and gather that material. What sense does it make right here, right now, to dig up all those bones, if we are just going to go back to 1915 Moonlight Road and bury them in a different hole? This is a chance for a wakeup call. Don't do the deal.
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Twins?
with the vested interest in this case, don't get to see all the cards. If the case goes to trial, the prosecutors get to put all their cards on the table for the world to see and then we get to decide for ourselves if Michael Vick has been overzealously prosecuted, or if he is indeed a down and dirty bird (pun intended). By the same token, Michael Vick also has the opportunity to once and for all prove to everyone concerned that he in no way was associated with this operation and that he rightfully deserves his career back and his endorsement deals restored. 
