Michael Vick wishes he had more guidance before dogfighting derailed NFL career
Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick expressed regret, wishing he would have listened to the one person who advised him against the dogfighting enterprise that derailed his career.
“I wish I had a father figure or somebody in my life — and I did, too, for the most part — but not to the point where somebody was like, ‘Yo, man, you can really screw all this up,’” Vick said on an episode of Tyreek Hill’s podcast "It needed to be Said."
“Ain’t nobody came and said, ‘Bro, you can screw all this up.’ One person [did], I won’t say his name.”
While the word “dogfighting” was never brought up on the podcast, Vick shared his career and life perspective during the podcast episode with Hill, a receiver with the Miami Dolphins.
Vick, 43, pleaded guilty to a federal charge in connection with a dogfighting operation in August 2007. He was suspended by the NFL and ultimately sentenced to 23 months in federal prison. He served the first 18 months there and then was transferred to home confinement.
Vick was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 1 pick in the 2001 NFL draft and became the first quarterback in league history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He finished second in MVP voting and led the Falcons to an NFC championship appearance in 2004.
Vick said on the podcast he was even hopeful to resume his career in Atlanta until the Falcons drafted quarterback Matt Ryan with the No. 3 pick in the 2008 NFL draft.
“The whole time like I was gone I thought they was gonna wait on me, but that was wishful thinking,” Vick said.
“Like, I really thought like they was gonna wait for me to get back and all this would be over and then I step back in, be the starter, and we just move on like nothing ever happened. But that’s not reality. And I was hoping for something that just couldn’t happen.”
Vick later returned to the NFL in 2009, playing five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2009-13), one season with the Jets (2014), and finished his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2015).
Vick made his fourth Pro Bowl and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2010 with the Eagles.
“I came back with a different sense of urgency and a different life perspective as well,” Vick said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Vick wishes he listened to one person about dogfighting
