Michael Vick’s superb athleticism displayed in his 13-year NFL career will be forever marred by the dogfighting enterprise he became a part of right in his prime.
Vick acknowledged his mistake, understanding that it changed his career, and has been trying to make up for it ever since.
Making an appearance on Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s podcast «It Needed To Be Said,» the word «dogfighting» wasn’t mentioned once, but it was implied when he talked about the one person he advised him not to be a part. of the cruel company.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
«I wish I had a father figure or someone in my life, and I did, too, for the most part, but not to the point where someone was like, ‘Yo, man, you can really screw this whole thing up.'»
“No one came and said, ‘Brother, you can screw all this up.’ A person [did]I won’t say his name.»
It was in August 2007 that Vick, 27, pleaded guilty to a federal charge related to the dog fighting ring. He would be suspended by the league and sentenced to 23 months in federal prison.
MICHAEL VICK STILL RETIRED, WILL NOT PLAY IN FAN-CONTROLLED FOOTBALL
Vick, now 43, served 18 months in jail before being transferred to home confinement.
The Atlanta Falcons, and the rest of the NFL, were devastated to see one of their bright young stars, a quarterback who was changing the game after becoming the first in league history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season: his career went off the rails like this.
But the Falcons were eager to see how Vick’s career would play out after his prison sentence, as they drafted Matt Ryan third overall in 2008 despite Vick being their first overall pick in the 2001 Draft and showing who can win in the league.
«The whole time I was gone, I thought they were going to wait for me, but that was wishful thinking,» Vick explained.
«I really thought they were going to wait for me to come back, and this would all be over, and then I would step back, be the starter, and we’d just carry on like nothing happened. But that’s not the reality.»
Instead, when Vick returned to the NFL, it was with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. He would spend five seasons with them, including a 2010 campaign in which he won Comeback Player of the Year honors after throwing for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns. , while I was running. for 676 yards with nine scores. Vick was also selected to his fourth and final Pro Bowl.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Following his time with the Eagles, he was signed by the New York Jets for the 2014 season followed by his final year in the NFL in 2015 with the Pittsburgh Steelers.