Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick won't face criminal charges over a suspicious bottle he tried to bring through security at Miami International Airport.
Lab tests on the bottle, which contained a hidden compartment that police suspected may have contained marijuana, found no evidence of drugs, according to a memo Monday by Deisy Rodriguez, an assistant state attorney.
"Based on the lab's findings, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office is not filing criminal charges," Rodriguez said in the memo, adding the bottle is no longer considered evidence in an investigation.
Over the weekend, league sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Vick would be cleared.
Falcons spokesman Reggie Roberts applauded the swift action by the Miami authorities.
Vick's attorney, Lawrence H. Woodward Jr., said Vick wanted to put the matter behind him.
"Michael fully understands that his actions on and off the field are a reflection on the Atlanta Falcons and the NFL," Woodward said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press. "Michael intends to spend this off-season focusing on his family, working with his teammates and the new coaching staff to ensure that the Falcons have a great season in 2007, and devoting time to his charitable interests."
The 26-year-old player was forced to surrender the bottle when he attempted to take it through airport security last Wednesday. He was not arrested and went on to board an AirTran flight to Atlanta.
A police report said the bottle appeared from the outside to contain water but had a compartment behind the label. That compartment contained a "small amount of dark particulate" and an odor consistent with marijuana, the report said. Monday's memo did not say what the material was.
Police had also said last week the lab analysis could take several weeks.
Possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor under Florida law, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. First offenders rarely do jail time.
Lab tests on the bottle, which contained a hidden compartment that police suspected may have contained marijuana, found no evidence of drugs, according to a memo Monday by Deisy Rodriguez, an assistant state attorney.
"Based on the lab's findings, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office is not filing criminal charges," Rodriguez said in the memo, adding the bottle is no longer considered evidence in an investigation.
Over the weekend, league sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Vick would be cleared.
Falcons spokesman Reggie Roberts applauded the swift action by the Miami authorities.
Vick's attorney, Lawrence H. Woodward Jr., said Vick wanted to put the matter behind him.
"Michael fully understands that his actions on and off the field are a reflection on the Atlanta Falcons and the NFL," Woodward said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press. "Michael intends to spend this off-season focusing on his family, working with his teammates and the new coaching staff to ensure that the Falcons have a great season in 2007, and devoting time to his charitable interests."
The 26-year-old player was forced to surrender the bottle when he attempted to take it through airport security last Wednesday. He was not arrested and went on to board an AirTran flight to Atlanta.
A police report said the bottle appeared from the outside to contain water but had a compartment behind the label. That compartment contained a "small amount of dark particulate" and an odor consistent with marijuana, the report said. Monday's memo did not say what the material was.
Police had also said last week the lab analysis could take several weeks.
Possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor under Florida law, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. First offenders rarely do jail time.
