"Honestly, I wish I had never been involved in dogfighting," he wrote. "As a result I've lost everything — my good name, job, endorsements, and now my freedom."

Vick blamed his marijuana use on his father, Michael Boddie, who talked to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his famous son's dogfighting activities in August. Boddie told the newspaper: "I wish people would stop sugarcoating it. This is Mike's thing."

Vick wrote: "I was suffering from a deep state of depression, and after my father attacked me in the media, I was heartbroken. ... That's no excuse for using marijuana, but I didn't know how to cope with all the difficulties I was facing because it was all new to me."

He alluded to the nearly $1 million the court ordered him to set aside for the care and placement of dozens of pit bulls that were seized from his property in southeastern Virginia, saying he had no objection to paying because he believes the dogs "should live a good life."

Vick noted that he had never before been convicted of a crime, and he listed some of his charitable contributions and vowed to use his money only for good works in the future.

Aaron, the former home run king who is now an executive with the Atlanta Braves, lauded Vick's community service.

"From the moment Michael moved to Atlanta, he appeared to deal with his success very well," Aaron wrote. "From what I understand, he took it upon himself to support the area's underprivileged kids, bring them to games, visit them in the hospital, and give money to the organizations that help them. Michael made a favorable impression on me from the moment I met him."

Vick's lead attorney, Billy Martin, said in a statement: "Mr. Vick is much more than the caricature some in the media have chosen to portray."

He listed other charitable works by Vick and said the former Virginia Tech star "deserves to be judged on the totality of his actions, not just the latest headlines."

Vick's troubles still are not over. He and his three co-defendants — Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor — face state animal cruelty charges in Surry County. Vick's trial is set for April 2.