Michael Vick and Roddy White, two football players from two Southern coastal cities, took different paths to Atlanta.
Vick was an All-American from Virginia Tech and the Tidewater city of Newport News, Va. White, a little-known wide receiver from UAB, came from Charleston, S.C. Many years later, their paths crossed again during a retirement ceremony hosted by Falcons owner Arthur Blank on Monday.
Their jerseys weren’t retired and both will go through the team’s normal Ring of Honor process. But that was just fine with both of them.
“This is what means the most to me, right now,” Vick said. “I can forever say that I’m retired as an Atlanta Falcon.”
Vick was drafted by the team in 2001, the first pick overall, and White was added in 2005, the 27th pick. They were projected to carry the team’s passing attack for at least a decade. For a variety of reasons, things didn’t work out.
White struggled early in his career despite being pushed and prodded by Vick, wide receiver Brian Finneran and wide receivers coach George Stewart.
Vick’s career would be side-tracked by the federal dog fighting case before White could blossom. With Vick sent to jail, White had a breakout season with quarterbacks Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich and Chris Redman.
Before going to jail, it’s indisputable that Vick transformed the Falcons into a relevant playoff threat.
“I changed the culture of the game in Atlanta and that speaks volumes as well,” Vick said. “I don’t feel like I cheated the organization in any way, shape or form. They are in a great position now. I think life is all about progressions and we’ve seen it in its truest forms.”
Vick was also thankful to Blank for giving him the support to return to the NFL. Following two years away from football he returned to play with the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Vick’s Atlanta highlight was guiding the Falcons to the NFC Championship game after the 2004 regular season. A three-time Pro Bowler with the Falcons, he also guided the Falcons to a historic playoff victory on the road over the Green Bay Packers in historic Lambeau Field after the 2002 season.
Blank has been criticized by some for embracing Vick after his troubles.
“Some people put in the time, put in the hard work and put in the effort and I don’t think one mistake should define anyone in life,” Vick said. “I think (Blank) believes in that philosophy. We all make mistakes. People make mistakes on a daily basis and some that they regret.
“But it’s not publicized and people don’t find out about it. They are able to go on with their normal lives. I was an Atlanta Falcon when I made my mistake(s) and it was all public. I think regardless of that fact, I think Arthur understands that I’m a human being like everybody else. If they don’t see it that way, he does.”
Vick said that his Christian faith helped him through those dark days in federal prison (21 months) and home confinement (two months).
“I always had Jesus in my life,” Vick said. “Faith is everything. In my lowest moments, the only thing I could rely on was faith. There’s no single individual, man or women, who can help you. That’s when people start to realize that God is real and God works on things on his own time.
“There were plenty of things that I wanted right there that I couldn’t get. I had to wait on it and patience was everything. When I came out of my situation, all of the people in this room were right there for me.”
Former coaching great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy was instrumental in helping Vick get back into the league.
“Coach is influential,” Vick said. “He just wanted everything to be A-1. He wanted me to have an opportunity to live the American Dream again.
“He knew I’d worked extremely hard to get to where I was at in my life. He just didn’t want anything to fall by the wayside. He gave me an opportunity. He believed in me and he put his word out there for me and it worked out.”
After a slow start, White developed into the franchise’s most prolific receiver during the league’s evolution into a pass-oriented league. White amassed 808 catches, 10,863 yards and 63 touchdowns over 11 seasons, all of them spent with the Falcons.
He went to four Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro once. For six seasons — from 2007 to 2012 — he averaged 93.8 catches and was a tenacious blocker. He credited his days as a high school wrestler with helping his NFL career.
“It just made me crazy,” White said of wrestling. “Wrestling in high school was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. Wrestling was so hard and difficult.”
But White’s mother, Joenethia, wouldn’t let him quit.
“You started it, so you’ve got to finish it,” White said.
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