Norfolk State is hiring former Virginia Tech and NFL star quarterback Michael Vick as its next football coach, per multiple reports, sparking comments from PETA president Ingrid Newkirk. Vick served 21 months in federal prison after being charged in a dogfighting ring that put his professional football career on hold in 2007 prior to his release from the Atlanta Falcons.
Vick won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2010 and played for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring in 2015.
«After interviewing him at PETA’s office in Norfolk, Virginia while his sentence was under consideration, and hearing him tell me bold-faced lies about his poor dogs, I came to believe that he’s a charming, charismatic, psychopath, but since I believe he won’t fight dogs ever again, PETA is focusing on working with law enforcement to bust those who still do,» Newkirk told Fox News Digital this week.
Vick served as an advisor for the Atlanta Legends in the Alliance of American Football in 2019 before the league folded after just one season. A native of Newport News, Virginia Tech, roughly 25 miles north of Norfolk, Vick was a standout quarterback at Virginia Tech (1998-2000) before starting his 13-year NFL career. The Falcons selected Vick with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Vick joined the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. He is often considered the greatest athlete in school history, bringing national recognition to the football program as a quarterback during the 1999 season, leading the Hokies to an unbeaten 11-0 regular-season record and a berth in the national championship game as a redshirt freshman. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting that year.
During his two years as the starting quarterback, Vick threw for 3,279 yards and 21 touchdowns with 12 interceptions, adding another 1,216 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns on the ground. At the time Vick was named to the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame in 2017, he held school records for the highest yards-per-completion average in a season (20.4 in 1999) and the highest yards-per-attempt average in a season (12.0 in 1999). He also holds the career record for highest yards-per-attempt average (9.79 from 1999-2000).
Vick opted to forgo his final two years of eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft. His No. 7 jersey was retired by Virginia Tech in 2002.
Vick played for four different franchises in the NFL: Atlanta Falcons (2001-08), Philadelphia Eagles (2009-2013), New York Jets (2014) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2015). He threw for 22,464 yards, with 133 touchdowns and 88 interceptions over the course of his career. Vick also set two NFL records: most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback (1,039) and most rushing yards by a quarterback in a career (6,109).
Vick paused his NFL career for two seasons in 2007 and 2008 after he pleaded guilty for involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring. He spent 21 months in federal prison. Vick earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year and was named to his fourth Pro Bowl in 2010.