Michael Vick to Norfolk State: The next chapter of a redemption story

On December 10, 2007, Michael Vick walked into a federal courthouse in Richmond, Virginia, chewing gum and rocking bright white Nike Air Force 1 Mids, which happened to match the stripes on his prison clothes.

He was there to be sentenced for his role in a brutal dog-fighting ring that had cost him his $100 million NFL contract, his record-breaking Nike deal and, most importantly, his freedom. He was met with at least some degree of defiance—if not disbelief—when, for practical reasons at least, he should have tried to project remorse and responsibility.

Federal prosecutors would soon lay out not only Vick’s crimes in running Bad Newz Kennels, but a list of mind-boggling violations, even after he had pleaded guilty and knew all eyes were on him.

While awaiting sentencing, the government argued before Judge Henry E. Hudson that Vick had not fully admitted to some of his actions, engaged in deceptive practices to cover up others and even smoked marijuana just one night before a scheduled test would surely , and did , bust him.

Even his own friends and family present, who saw any imprisonment as unnecessary, could only shake their heads. Disappointment hung in the air. This was self-inflicted stuff. All that potential was being hobbled away at Leavenworth.

Vick had arrived that day with a sentence of 12-18 months, with speculation that he would get the minimum because of his lack of prior record. If so, he could have been out in just over 10 months, back in the NFL soon after. Instead, his actions and attitude caused the sentencing guideline to jump to 18-24 months.

Vick ended up getting 23, more than any of his co-defendants, many of whom had previously. The officers quickly led him out, in handcuffs, on his way to being locked up. His family simply cried. This, they swore, it wasn’t him, it wasn’t Mike.

“I’m willing to say that if Michael Vick gets another chance either in society or the NFL,” his attorney, Billy Martin, said that day, “he’s going to take full advantage of it.”

Seventeen Decembers later, in the same Virginia where he had grown up, where he electrified ballparks from Newport News to Blacksburg, and where he was convicted, Michael Vick lived up to his legal promise with a new title.

Coach.

Norfolk State reportedly hired Vick, now 44, to run its football program, which is just a half-hour drive from his hometown.

It’s the latest chapter in a powerful redemption story that had already seen Vick come to terms with his actions, pay his debt to society, triumphantly return to the NFL and carry himself as a powerful advocate for animal rights. He went from reviled villain to role model and leader.

And it is not done.

The Vick who stood in that courtroom, who apparently thought he was as untouchable off the field as the quarterback who weaved through the Green Bay Packers on a cold playoff night at Lambeau, is long gone. The new man is here to prove himself again.

Will Michael Vick win a lot of games as a college football coach? Nobody knows.

What seems certain is that his players will benefit from the lessons he can impart from a roller coaster of an American football life. The good. The bad one. The ugly one. From rise to scandal to a slow, hard-fought comeback.

There is no denying the cruelty Vick showed his dogs. Nor can one rule out the shock that someone in the prime of a brilliant career would plunge into such a sad and twisted pursuit.

What Vick has proven, however, is that no one, at least in all but the most reprehensible cases, should be fully defined by their worst moment. They may actually have the most to give.

His seven-season post-incarceration return to the NFL — including five as a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles — was encouraging enough.

However, athletes tend to get these shots. If you can play, someone will always excuse you.

What Vick did with that chance was something more. It wasn’t just his return to form — or anything close enough to his Atlanta days.

It was his professionalism, his work ethic and his humility that won over locker rooms and coaches alike — including Andy Reid and Mike Tomlin. The teammates saw not just someone who could score touchdowns, but someone who could be trusted.

He had been on edge. He came back.

It is Vick who dedicated himself to charity after his career ended in 2015; a constant, especially at his old Newport News Boys and Girls Club. He worked as a broadcaster for Fox Sports but yearned to do more because he believed he could offer more.

So now he’s a coach, following Deion Sanders (Jackson State) and Eddie George (Tennessee State) as an NFL great leading an HBCU.

All those years after one of American sports’ most stunning falls from grace hit rock bottom, Michael Vick has continued one of his greatest comebacks, a life of atonement for all to see.

Coach Vick at Norfolk State is right where he needs to be.