Michael Vick and Dog Fighting: Where Will It End?

Keep in mind this is just my opinion, but after having followed stories like these for more than seven years you start to get certain instincts about stuff. And this one doesn't smell good.
I have to admit, when the story first broke, I really didn't think much of it: small town sheriff thinks there's dog fighting going on at a house that Michael Vick may or may not own. Yeah, right! How does that compare to some high school coach hiding a video camera in the girls locker room? You see my dilemma. But as this has progressed, I'm getting more worried about Mr. Vick. The warning bells started going off when the Feds got involved. And then, the confirmation I was looking for that this was going to turn out badly: supporters of Vick's starting to compare this whole thing to the Duke lacrosse case. "Another rush to judgement?" Oh please!
In case you forgot, the key witness in the Duke lacrosse case was a drunken stripper with a history of mental problems. In the Vick case: we may--and I stress may--have dozens of reports of witnesses reporting seeing Michael at dogfighting events. And if the stories about the house in Virginia prove accurate, he was doing more than just watching. The NFL is in a real pickle here folks: how to stand behind one of their top players without getting knocked over if he gets smacked down by the criminal justice system.
So far, nothing I've read, or heard from sources, that makes me think this will end well for anyone, least of all Mr. Vick. But one can always hope.