Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick, one of the most electrifying players in NFL history, almost derailed his career in 2007 when he plead guilty to federal dogfighting charges.
The NFL indefinitely suspended Vick for his conduct, and Vick served 21 months in prison for his crimes.
Although Vick eventually signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and returned to his soaring heights as a player, he recently reflected upon his mistakes during an appearance on Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s podcast, It Needed to be Said.
Vick or Hill never explicitly said the word “dogfighting,” but it was clear to anybody familiar with Vick’s history what they were talking about.
“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.’”
Vick quickly corrected himself.
“One person [did], I won’t say his name.”
Vick also revealed that he bought a Maybach with the signing bonus from his second contract with the Falcons, and the police pulled him over just to find out what kind of car he drove.
“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.”
Unfortunately for Vick, getting rid of the Maybach couldn’t keep him from eventually drawing the attention of law enforcement to his criminal activities.