When Michael Vick took the field for the first time in 1999, it was a breath of fresh air in the landscape of college football. His dynamic nature baffled opponents as he made the game look relatively easy. The season culminated with Virginia Tech’s trip to the National Championship Game in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. His greatness showed as he almost single-handedly kept Virginia Tech in the game and even went into the 4th quarter with a one-point lead. In the end, Vick’s 321 total yards weren’t enough as the Seminoles won the title.
The 2000 season saw Vick battle injuries much of the year, but everyone in NFL camps across the league knew the potential number seven had. At the end of the season Vick declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft.
He was the #1 pick in the 2001 NFL Draft and his exciting play on the field (who can forget the memorable run he had in overtime to defeat the Minnesota Vikings) earned him many endorsements. Nike, EA Sports, Coca-Cola, Rawlings, Kraft, Powerade, and others stepped up to the plate to make Michael Vick their spokesman. He was promotional gold for all of these companies as everyone loved what native Virginian could do.
His play even earned him the richest contract in NFL history at the time. 10 years, $130 million dollars with a $37 million dollar signing bonus in 2004. He seemed like he was on top of the world, but poor decisions started to become what Vick was known for.
In late 2006, Vick showed the fans that he thought they were number one in his eyes with an obscene gesture. Then there was the incident at the Miami International Airport in which Vick had an undisclosed substance in his water bottle. His ultimate undoing was bankrolling the large dog fighting operation in his home state of Virginia. He even housed the fights at his residence.
Today the news came out that Vick is filing for bankruptcy protection in the range of $10-50 million. He owes various banks millions of dollars for loans and even the Atlanta Falcons $3.75 million for a signing bonus the judge required him to pay back to the organization.
Just three years ago Vick was on top of the world. While the exact amount of his endorsements is hard to find, you would have to imagine they were in the hundreds of millions of dollars. That with his $13 million/year and $37 million dollar signing bonus means that Vick essentially left a sum of money that would have supported his family for generations on the table, so he could bankroll the “hobby” of dog fighting.
It’s amazing to me how far he fell. I hope he joins his stay in America’s Heartland. Leavenworth, Kansas is certainly a nice place to stay this time of the year. I hope he spends his time in the prison yard working on his game. No doubt some struggling NFL franchise will take a flier on him in either 2009 or 2010, depending on when he is released. The league just like everything else changes in a short period of time. Will Vick be able to adapt to a changing league? Will his speed and quickness, the things that made him a good player, have faded by having not played for a number of years?
It’s sad because Vick had so much promise. I hope those nights in the “black houses” betting on the pit bulls were worth giving up everything in your life. If only they could have received protection from you when they were in trouble.
1 Comment
July 9, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I hope Michael Vick burns in “Pound Puppy” hell.