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The newest episode of Tyreek Hill's podcast, It Needed To Be Said, features former NFL quarterback Mike Vick . And in 90 minutes of It Needed To Be Said, one word that needed to be said was completely unsaid.
Dogfighting.
During the first 30 minutes or so of the discussion, it seemed that the conversation would never even address the two-year break in Vick's career arising from his guilty plea to federal charges from dogfighting and gambling on dogfighting. (He somehow avoided being indicted on charges of animal cruelty in Virginia, despite admitted involvement in the killing of dogs that were deemed unfit to fight.) Although the word itself was still never mentioned, the discussion eventually touched on the broader issues arising from Vick's off-field issues.
Vick, now 43, understands what happened and why. And he understands that the contracts he received carried obligations to act a certain way, and that those contracts allowed the Falcons to take back his money when he failed to do so. He also understands that he was a role model to the kids who cheered for him and looked up to him.
While reflecting on the situation, Vick expressed one important piece of regret. "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. "Ain't nobody came and said, 'Bro, you can screw all this up.' One person [did], I won't say his name."
That's the perspective of the older Mike Vick. The younger Mike Vick wasn't ready to accept and to understand the consequences. Indeed, the younger Mike Vick likely would have ignored anyone who told him what it could do to his career, the same way he ignored the "one person" who tried. The younger Mike Vick, even after things went sideways, actually still thought he had a future with the Falcons.
"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."
For six years, Vick maintained a secret (but clearly not secret enough) dogfighting operation on a rural estate in Virginia. Did he really not know that his involvement in such conduct could derail his NFL career and cost him millions, or did he just not care?
The full episode makes it abundantly clear that Vick at all times had keen awareness as to the business realities of being in the NFL, from the impact of taxes on his initial signing bonus to his desire to save as much money as possible. He was happy the Chargers didn't draft him, for example, because the flights home would be significantly more expensive than the flights from Atlanta.
He explained that he bought a Maybach after signing his second contract with the Falcons, and that he was pulled over by a police officer who simply wanted to know what kind of car it was.
"I'm like, I don't need this car," Vick said. "Like, I don't need this, bro. It's too much attention. When the police stop you to ask you what type of car you in, you need to reconsider if you want to keep that car or not. . . . Sometimes I felt like the potential to create adverse situations, man, it's how people look at it and how they feel. Just didn't make me comfortable at times."
Think about that one. Young Mike Vick wasn't stupid. He knew what he was doing. He knew what would happen if someone found out what he was doing. He knew the importance of hiding it. He thought he would be able to, especially if he didn't attract too much attention.
While it's understandable that Vick doesn't want to wallow in a mud puddle that he left behind 14 years ago, there's a new generation of kids who might not even know what he did. They could learn plenty of lessons from his experiences, if they were aware of the key details. But if anyone who didn't know what he did watched the latest episode of It Needed To Be Said, they still don't know what he did, because it was never said.
Continue reading...
Dogfighting.
During the first 30 minutes or so of the discussion, it seemed that the conversation would never even address the two-year break in Vick's career arising from his guilty plea to federal charges from dogfighting and gambling on dogfighting. (He somehow avoided being indicted on charges of animal cruelty in Virginia, despite admitted involvement in the killing of dogs that were deemed unfit to fight.) Although the word itself was still never mentioned, the discussion eventually touched on the broader issues arising from Vick's off-field issues.
Vick, now 43, understands what happened and why. And he understands that the contracts he received carried obligations to act a certain way, and that those contracts allowed the Falcons to take back his money when he failed to do so. He also understands that he was a role model to the kids who cheered for him and looked up to him.
While reflecting on the situation, Vick expressed one important piece of regret. "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. "Ain't nobody came and said, 'Bro, you can screw all this up.' One person [did], I won't say his name."
That's the perspective of the older Mike Vick. The younger Mike Vick wasn't ready to accept and to understand the consequences. Indeed, the younger Mike Vick likely would have ignored anyone who told him what it could do to his career, the same way he ignored the "one person" who tried. The younger Mike Vick, even after things went sideways, actually still thought he had a future with the Falcons.
"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."
For six years, Vick maintained a secret (but clearly not secret enough) dogfighting operation on a rural estate in Virginia. Did he really not know that his involvement in such conduct could derail his NFL career and cost him millions, or did he just not care?
The full episode makes it abundantly clear that Vick at all times had keen awareness as to the business realities of being in the NFL, from the impact of taxes on his initial signing bonus to his desire to save as much money as possible. He was happy the Chargers didn't draft him, for example, because the flights home would be significantly more expensive than the flights from Atlanta.
He explained that he bought a Maybach after signing his second contract with the Falcons, and that he was pulled over by a police officer who simply wanted to know what kind of car it was.
"I'm like, I don't need this car," Vick said. "Like, I don't need this, bro. It's too much attention. When the police stop you to ask you what type of car you in, you need to reconsider if you want to keep that car or not. . . . Sometimes I felt like the potential to create adverse situations, man, it's how people look at it and how they feel. Just didn't make me comfortable at times."
Think about that one. Young Mike Vick wasn't stupid. He knew what he was doing. He knew what would happen if someone found out what he was doing. He knew the importance of hiding it. He thought he would be able to, especially if he didn't attract too much attention.
While it's understandable that Vick doesn't want to wallow in a mud puddle that he left behind 14 years ago, there's a new generation of kids who might not even know what he did. They could learn plenty of lessons from his experiences, if they were aware of the key details. But if anyone who didn't know what he did watched the latest episode of It Needed To Be Said, they still don't know what he did, because it was never said.
Continue reading...
