The man who once owned Atlanta’s professional sports scene, and who was arguably once the NFL’s most dynamic quarterback, turned 40 Friday.
Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons’ No. 1 draft pick in 2001, is now an analyst with Fox Sports, as well as other FS1 programming, and works with his Team Vick Foundation.
The Falcons made a stunning trade in that year’s draft to obtain Vick, who had declared his intention to go pro after only two years at Virginia Tech. The Falcons sent their first- and third-round picks in that draft, a second-round pick in the 2002 draft and kick returner Tim Dwight to the San Diego Chargers.
»MORE: The bizarre times of Michael Vick
The Falcons went 16-32 the previous three seasons. In 2002, Vick’s first year as a starter, the team went 7-0-1 in one stretch. This included a remarkable 46-yard touchdown dash by Vick in overtime to finish off the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13.
In the playoffs, the Falcons traveled to Green Bay for a prime-time matchup. A record crowd of 63,358 showed up to watch three-time MVP Brett Favre face Vick.
The odds were overwhelmingly in the Packers’ favor. They had been the only team to go undefeated at home that season. They had won all 11 of their playoff games at Lambeau Field. And Favre was 35-0 in home games when the temperature was under 34 degrees. On that Jan. 4, 2003, evening, the thermometer stood at 31 degrees.
But Vick led the Falcons on a 76-yard touchdown drive on their first possession and never looked back. At halftime, when it started snowing, the Falcons had an eye-popping 24-0 lead. When Favre took a knee on the game’s final play, it was Atlanta 27, Green Bay 7.
Credit: Darren Hauck
Credit: Darren Hauck
The Falcons lost to the Philadelphia Eagles during the next playoff round, but the sky seemed the limit for Vick.
He made the Pro Bowl that year and two of the next three. In 2004 against the Denver Broncos, Vick became the first NFL quarterback to pass for more than 250 yards and rush for more than 100 yards in a game. The Falcons made the playoffs that year, too, and reached the NFC Championship Game. But once again, they lost to the Eagles.
Team owner Arthur Blank rewarded his superstar with a nine-year, $130 million contract extension.
The Falcons missed the playoffs the next two years, but in 2006 Vick became the first NFL quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. (He finished with 1,039.) He also set an NFL record with a whopping 8.4 yards per carry.
But the first sign that Vick's world was about to crash occurred April 25, 2007, when police executed a search warrant at a property Vick owned in Surry County, Virginia. Although authorities were investigating drug charges against Vick's cousin, they found evidence of dogfighting.
Vick showed up at the Falcons minicamp in May. But weeks later, federal authorities executed two more searches at the property, carrying out boxes and bringing in a backhoe to dig.
The federal indictment came July 17, 2007. About a month after his indictment, Vick reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors. In it, he admitted financing Bad Newz Kennels and that it involved the “victimization and killing of pit bull dogs.”
Credit: Dayna Verkouteren
Credit: Dayna Verkouteren
Condemnation was swift. The NFL leveled an indefinite suspension, and Commissioner Roger Goodell said Vick had engaged in “cruel and reprehensible” illegal conduct.
Vick was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison. He was ordered to pay $928,073 as restitution for the care of 53 dogs seized from his property.
Hours later, the Falcons lost 34-14 to the New Orleans Saints on "Monday Night Football." The next day, 13 games into the season, coach Bobby Petrino quit to go coach the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Falcons finished 4-12.
Vick served 18 months in custody before being released from the U.S. penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, on May 20, 2009. After spending two months more in home confinement, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick to a $1.6 million contract, and his suspension was lifted three games into the season.
In 2010, Vick was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year and earned his fourth trip to the Pro Bowl. And the man who lost millions of dollars from his Falcons deal because of his dogfighting conviction was awarded a new six-year deal with about $40 million guaranteed.
Vick left the Eagles after the 2013 season and played sporadically for the New York Jets in 2014 and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015 before retiring in 2016.
In June 2017, the Falcons welcomed Vick back for a retirement ceremony with former wide receiver Roddy White.
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