July 26 (Bloomberg) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded not guilty and was allowed to remain free without posting bail as he faces charges he and three other men operated an interstate dog-fighting ring at a house he owned in Virginia.

U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson in Richmond, Virginia, heard the pleas today, and all four men were allowed to stay out of jail without bond before a trial set for Nov. 26.

A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 1. All of Vick's co- defendants also pleaded not guilty.

``Today in court, I pleaded innocent to the charges against me,'' Vick, 27, said in a statement read after the hearing by his lawyer, William Martin of Washington. ``I respectfully ask all of you to hold your judgment until all the facts are known.''

Martin added, ``This is going to be a hard-fought trial.''

A three-time Pro Bowl player and one of the most popular players in the most-watched U.S. sport, Vick is the latest National Football League player to face accusations of illegal conduct away from the field.

He would be starting his seventh year of professional football this year. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ordered Vick not to report today to the team's training camp and hired an independent lawyer to review the case. The Falcons said they planned to suspend Vick for four games before the NFL stepped in.

A grand jury indicted Vick; Purnell Peace, 35; Quanis Phillips, 28; and Tony Taylor, 34, on July 17, charging them with conspiring to sponsor dog fights and to travel between states for unlawful activities.

Smithfield Property

The men ran a dog-fighting operation at a property in Smithfield, Virginia, that Vick bought for the purpose in 2001, prosecutors said.

If convicted, they face as much as five years in prison and fines of as much as $250,000 on the interstate travel charge, and one year in prison and a $100,000 fine on the dog-fighting charge, prosecutors said.

Last year, Vick became the first NFL quarterback to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He had a career-high 20 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Falcons went 7-9.

Vick appeared on the cover of Electronic Arts Inc.'s ``Madden 2004'' edition of the best-selling sports video game in history. His No. 7 jersey has ranked as high as second in the league for sales.

As his popularity and performance soared, Vick was engaged in an interstate conspiracy, according to the indictment.

`Bad Newz Kennels'

Vick bought the Virginia property that became ``Bad Newz Kennels'' about two months after signing a six-year, $62 million contract with the Falcons in May 2001, according to the indictment. The property had training areas and housed pit bulls the men bought to train and use in dog fights, the government charged.

Participants established purses as high as $26,000 for the fights, which lasted until the death or surrender of the losing dogs, prosecutors said in the indictment.

Losing dogs and those that showed little promise as fighters were sometimes drowned, hanged, shot or electrocuted, the government said.

Prosecutors, quoting unnamed ``cooperating witnesses,'' said in the indictment that the kennel's pit bulls fought dogs from New York and New Jersey as well as other Southern states.

Outside the courthouse today, as many as 100 people, one in a dog costume, demonstrated against the player. A sign held by two children read, ``Say it ain't so, Mike.'' Vick was booed as he left in a white sport utility vehicle.

Electronic Devices

In court, Peace and Phillips were ordered to wear electronic monitoring devices because of criminal records. Vick was ordered to surrender his kennel license. One spectator wore a No. 7 Vick jersey.

In his statement, the player apologized to his mother ``for what she has had to go through in this most trying of times'' and to his teammates for not being with them.

In April, the NFL's Goodell revised the league's personal- conduct policy. He suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback Pacman Jones for a season after five arrests and no convictions, and banned Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry for half the season after arrests on charges including drunk driving and providing alcohol to minors.

The case is U.S. v. Peace, 3:07-cr-00274, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Richmond).

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Kuriloff in Richmond, Virginia, at akuriloff@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 26, 2007 17:14 EDT