Michael Vick’s lawyer stated in a Virginia Bankruptcy Court that the former NFL quarterback and dog connoisseur will be taking a job in construction. Vick is expected to be released from the penitentiary in May and given the recession he believes his best bet for earning some green would be lifting bricks and lumber for an hourly wage of just over $10 - a far cry from his 10-year, $140 million contract with the Falcons.

Vick’s lawyer said in court that his client was in “great shape and could once again command millions of dollars if he returns to football.” Many of the creditors who were present at the hearing stated they are relying on the belief that Vick will return to football where he can quickly earn the money he still owes on a number of bad investments and other debt which resulted from his fall from grace and 23 month prison term. However, that would still require a vote of approval from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Vick’s NFL recovery package plan was rejected by the judge presiding over his bankruptcy hearing. Ironically, the judge said Vick needed something more “concrete” in line his future earnings. If Vick doesn’t make it back to an NFL team this season and decides to pass on the upstart UFL football league (flopping kicking-off later this year) he won’t have to rely solely on the construction gig for income… Vick has agreed to participate in a Lifetime MTV Animal Planet Spice Channel television documentary about his life, netting him $600,000. The lawyer also hinted that Vick may have a book deal in the works as well. No word on what the book would be about or if it would contain only pictures or a combination of 2-syllable words paired with pictures.

Though it appears that Vick, under his bulging suit and lavender dress shirt, has maintained his physical form over the past 2 years behind bars, it is difficult to say whether he has retained his football talent to a major league level. To help encourage teams that may be interested but nonetheless hesitant in signing Vick out of concerns that he wasn’t staying in top shape during his prison term, his lawyer released this picture to the media: