Former NFL star Mike Vick says he’s taking the job at Norfolk State

Former NFL quarterback Mike Vick has accepted the head coaching job at Norfolk Statehe announced on social media on Tuesday evening.

Sources confirmed to ESPN’s Pete Thamel earlier Tuesday that the Spartans were finalizing the deal with Vick, but Norfolk State officials declined to comment on Vick specifically when reached by ESPN. The officials said they would not release a statement Tuesday but planned to release one soon, indicating they were in the formal stages of their hiring process.

Sources told ESPN that Vick, 44, informed Sacramento State officials that he was no longer in the mix for their open head coaching position and indicated to them that he was taking a job closer to home at Norfolk State. Vick’s hometown of Newport News, Virginia, is about 20 miles from the Spartans’ campus.

In announcing his decision to join the Spartans, Vick wrote that he was “glad to come home.”

Norfolk State fired coach Dawson Odums in November after a 4-8 season. The historically black school plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Spartans have made one appearance in the FCS playoffs, losing in the first round to rival Old Dominion in 2011.

As a player Vick wore Virginia Tech to the 1999 national title game and became the first black quarterback selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. He has been an NFL analyst for Fox Sports since his retirement in 2017.

News of Vick’s plan to take the job at Norfolk State was first reported by the Virginian-Pilot.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.