July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted on a charge of sponsoring dog fights at a home he owned in Virginia.

A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted the National Football League player and three other men on charges of conspiracy to sponsor a dog in an interstate animal fighting venture.

Vick, 27, and three others -- Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor -- were involved in a dog-fighting operation at a Smithfield, Virginia, home purchased by Vick in 2001, according to the indictment. ``Bad Newz Kennels,'' according to the indictment, used the property for housing and training pit bulls used in dog fights.

The Falcons apologized to their fans in a statement, saying the team was ``disappointed'' that one of their players was ``being presented to the public in a negative way.''

``Obviously, we are disturbed by today's news from Virginia,'' the team said in the statement. ``Our plan is to continue to do everything we can to support our players and coaches.''

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that the matter would be reviewed under the league's personal conduct policy, which was revised in April.

``We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury returned an indictment against him,'' McCarthy said.

Vick's agent, Joel Segal, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

Top Draft Pick

Vick, who played two seasons at Virginia Tech, was the first pick in the 2001 NFL draft and was in the Pro Bowl three times since then. Last year, he became the first quarterback to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

Vick purchased the Smithfield property in June 2001 for $34,000, and he and the other defendants began buying dogs and puppies from as far away as New York, according to the indictment. Dogfights began around a year later, with participants coming from South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, Texas, Alabama and other states.

The dog-fighting operation started, according to the indictment, about two months after Vick signed a six-year, $62 million contract with a $3 million signing bonus.

Participants established purses as high as $26,000, according to the indictment. Dog owners and spectators also made side bets on the fights, which lasted until the death or surrender of the losing dog. Losing dogs were sometimes killed by drowning, hanging, gunshot or electrocution.

Dogs Killed

In the summer of 2002, Vick and the others performed testing sessions on the dogs at the Smithfield property, and Peace, Phillips or Taylor sometimes killed those that didn't perform well. In April 2007, all four participated in a test followed by the killing of eight dogs, one by slamming its body into the ground, according to the indictment.

Various members of Bad Newz Kennels participated in dog fights in other parts of Virginia and several other states, according to the indictment.

Vick and other defendants face as much as five years in prison and fines of as much as $250,000 for the interstate commerce part of the charge, and one year in prison and $100,000 fines on the dog-fighting charge, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's office.

Vick might also face penalties from the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell in April suspended Tennessee Titans defensive back Pacman Jones for the entire 2007 season after Jones was arrested five times in about two years on charges that included public intoxication and felony coercion involving a fight in a Las Vegas strip club that left an employee paralyzed.

Penalized by League

Goodell handed an eight-game suspension on the same day to Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry, who was arrested four times in a 14-month period on charges that included drunken driving and providing alcohol to minors.

In June, Goodell suspended Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson for as many as eight games after he violated probation on a weapons charge.

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Kuriloff in New York at akuriloff@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 17, 2007 21:31 EDT