Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for his role in a dogfighting operation. Of the 471 Roanoke-area adults who said they were familiar with news stories about Vick, 19% said the 23 month sentence is too harsh, 42% feel it’s too lenient, and 37% think it’s about right.

Blacks and whites differ on the sentence…

• 52% of blacks think the sentence is too harsh compared to 14% of whites.
• 17% of blacks feel the sentence is too lenient compared to 47% of whites.

What should the NFL do once Vick has served his time? Overall…

• 34% say the NFL should immediately allow him to play football again.
• 32% say suspend him.
• 32% think he should be banned from the NFL forever.

When we break down those responses by race…

• 69% of blacks think he should immediately be allowed to play once he serves his time compared to 28% of whites.
• 23% of blacks say suspend him compared to 34% of whites.
• Only 8% of Blacks feel his should be banned forever compared to 36% of whites.

This research was conducted for WDBJ-TV, the CBS affiliate in the Roanoke-Lynchburg market. Full results and crosstabs can be found here .