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Vick says he wasn't involved in shooting; cops don't rule out QB

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick said Thursday night that he had "nothing to do" with a shooting following his 30th birthday celebration in Virginia Beach, Va., last week.

"I want to assure everyone that I had nothing to do with that incident," Vick said in a statement provided to The Associated Press and other media outlets. "I left the restaurant prior to it occurring and did not witness what happened."

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For now, the Eagles are standing by Michael Vick, who will reportedly remain the team's backup quarterback unless further details emerge linking him to last weeks' shooting.

Vick said he reported the incident to the Eagles and "to representatives of Commissioner Roger Goodell." Vick also said he has been "completely truthful and fully cooperative" with law enforcement and the NFL, and he will continue to cooperate as the investigation continues.

The Eagles and NFL have said they are looking into the matter. Goodell told Vick when reinstating him to the league last season that his margin for error was "extremely limited."

Eagles coach Andy Reid, currently participating in the NFL's USO tour in Afghanistan and and Germany, spoke to the Philadelphia Inquirer Friday, telling the paper he has been monitoring the situation while abroad.

"I have spoken to Michael and I've looked into the situation," Reid said by telephone. "I'm aware of the things that are happening and I'll continue to be kept abreast about any recent developments."

Police said earlier Thursday that they haven't ruled out Vick as a suspect or a person of interest in their investigation. Police spokesman Adam Bernstein said they will not discuss specifics of the investigation and that no one has been named as a suspect or arrested.

"I don't want to say either way as to what his involvement is," Bernstein said of Vick during a telephone interview with The AP. "Everyone wants me to give him a label because of who he is."

Vick's attorney, Larry Woodward, didn't immediately return phone messages left Thursday. Detectives interviewed Vick on Monday, and Bernstein said at the time that the quarterback wasn't a suspect in the case.

Police haven't identified the shooting victim, but Woodward said it was Quanis Phillips. In his statement, Vick didn't name Phillips, a co-defendant in the dogfighting case that landed the quarterback in federal prison.

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Vick, who filed for bankruptcy in 2008, is entering his second season with the Eagles and due to earn $5.2 million. He spent six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before going to prison.

Vick's statement came almost one week after the shooting early last Friday.

Woodward told The AP on Tuesday that Vick left the establishment at least 10 minutes, and perhaps as many as 20 minutes, before the shooting took place. But Allen Fabijan, spokesman for Guadalajara Mexican restaurant and nightclub, said Wednesday that he had video that contradicted Woodward's timeline.

The time-stamped footage from a surveillance camera outside the club's entrance shows a car with Vick inside leaving at 2:07 a.m. -- about 3 minutes before the shooting one block away.

The waiting car with Vick inside pulled away at about 2:07 a.m., heading in the direction of the eventual shooting. Numerous people were visible lingering in front of the club for several minutes until, at 2:10:55, they appear to be startled, with some ducking for cover.

Bernstein, who said authorities have a copy of the video, said the first 911 call about the shooting was received at 2:11.

Fabijan said police have asked him not to release the video, but he allowed The AP to view the grainy footage.

Vick's face isn't discernible; a man whom Fabijan said is Vick appears moving toward a parked car at 2:04 a.m. A crowd quickly gathered, and Fabijan said Vick accommodated fans trying to get an autograph, to pose for a photo or to shake hands -- so much so that a club security guard eventually moved in to disperse the crowd.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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