Michael Vick Part 1

was hot. It's been sticky. I mean we're in North Carolina. We're in Charlotte for those of y'all who don't know, So it gets humidity. It is painstaking that. I mean it's been it's been hot in North Carolina. Um, I mean it's been ninety degrees in October November. Right, We've we've had a thanksgiven where it's been like eighty four degrees, which is and then if it was like seven with

all the commidity. Yeah, so it's it's different. So we decided we're gonna play tennis, right, and so where we play tennis, they also have some Uh, it's a pool right there. So there was a guy he's about sixty years old, and again he was by the pool, so he had he was walking from the pool pastor tennis courts to his car to go in to to leave, and he had on he didn't have on a shirt. So he was again sons out, guns out. But he

was six years old, so he had it. He had it for sixty year old man or or maybe could have been older. He was pretty fit and he wanted everybody. He everybody to know, Look, I'm old, but I'm still handling the business. So I look over and one just you know, I was always taught respect your elder, so I look over when I said, hey, sun's eve guns out? He said yeah. I said hey, but um, you got those guns registered. He looked at me and said, nah, I ain't shot these in a while. Bro. He had

his clip bloated, waiting for you to ask. That's why he didn't ever start on because he was waiting for someone. Yeah, I ain't shot these. I know what he says. I haven't disstarted these and years. And what I loved about that is one when I was acknowledging, Hey, I see you working old. I see you, I see you working young man. It was really cool because when I get sixty or seven years old, man, I still kind of want a four pack at least right to the other.

Two is still in the cooler, still in the cooler, right because obviously when you're sixty and seven, you ain't working out like you used to. But just just to have a a two pack, man, that's progress. Because there's a lot of thirty year old so walking around with kegs they ain't got No did he run up on you like he wanted to try or he just ran

He wasn't like that, No, he was. He was strolling by his flip flops in the shorts and and his shirt, and I was fully dressed and ninety degree weather playing tennis, and people like, really, still you play tennis? Actually I'm a three five and ten. That means there's five oh I mean four or five? Four oh three? Five three oh to five two oh two old? Is you're terrible? Um three five is? You could play a little bit, run around. I love the exercise. I'm actually a huge

tennis junkie. Love love tennis. Grew up watching Andrea Agassi and um, you know on here on cut Tool. We also eventually have some tennis guys to brothers talking tennis. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah, you know obviously Arthur ashe but there's a lot of different guys here in North Carolina. And um Andy Murray um really good friends. He grew up in Greensboro, John Isner Um. Obviously you got the Serenas that's down the street from the house

in l A girl. I remember, I had the unique opportunity to visit um James Blake when he was playing. His mom actually well was his trainer and and really kind of kept him and focused. I was pretty good. So I love tennis and intense dude. That's that's crazy, man, intense dude like you savage on the field swinging tennis club. Why do you saying like that. No, I'm saying I'm not judging you. I'm not I'm not judging at all.

I'm just saying I find it interesting that you know, if you canell you to keep backpelling, you're gonna hit the water cool over there. That's cool. I play a little DV in my life, but I'm just saying, I do you seriously, I find it interesting that that you

play tennis. And it's cool because I think the one I mean, you are a football player, you tense do in tennis is such a quote unquote country club sport that, um, I really find it interesting and honestly find it cool even for me like my daughter who six your niece Mia, Um, she loves swimming and she loves playing golf, two things that I never grew up around where I'm from. So honestly, what I'm saying is I find it cool that you can invest yourself in the sport that otherwise, you know,

places that we're from, you don't typically play. So honestly, I find it really cool that you know, in your later stages in life, you can find something like that that really keeps you fit, keeps you focused, and keeps you really you know, keeps you around some sort of competitiveness. Man, let me tell you, in tennis, you want to get ran,

play some old folks. They give you the business. Give you the business because in tennis, tennis is a mind game, right, and it's ball placement, and a lot of the older people don't have that movement like they used to, but they but they're playing from a mental stampard and so they so I played the older guy and got my butt woolf and he ran me, ran me off the court because ball placement. I'm over there, I'm running from side to side, baseline, the baseline. That dude was out

out there running for no reason. He was out there like it just crossed court throwing darts. But I love tennis because it's it's a great It is a great sport in which requires mental fortitude, strategy. But you could also hit the snot out of the ball and then they can return it same velocity even more, or they can set you up. So it's a lot of mental aspect of it. It's a lot of I was, but that old man taught me something. I'll running. I'll run them into the ground right now. But you know that

ain't gonna happen. But I really love tennis, and so me and my wife play tennis together. My boys. I am Doocey Um. We called Doocy Goosey Steve Smith Jr. I have brainwashed him Um into being a tennis player. He's gonna be t He's gonna become a tennis player, and then I will be able to live in Italy um for a year or two because he'll be he'll be training out there, and so we're gonna be recording from Italy. I don't don't really care record from, but

I'm getting Italy at some point. Uh to just be there for a year and let him train um in Italy and then I can blow up by eating a whole bunch of pizza. There you go, there, So gee, let's cut to it. And who's our guest for today? Because I don't know who it is. We we talked about some guys and then now I got like a surprise guest that you're supposed to be telling me, and so now I'm just going off to I am literally, I have no questions in front of me because you

guys and tell me. So. If this show seems a little bit radic today, that's only because they surprised me with the guest and I don't know who it is, but I think it's gonna be an awesome guest. Alright, coming up, we got a very special surprise guest, an icon, a legend, Michael Vick. He went to Virginia Tech University. He's a four time pro bowler. He was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in and he's the NFL's all time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback over

six thousand yards. Michael Vick, thanks for coming onto the cut to a podcast. Brother, Thanks for having me. Man, It's just a pleasure to be on pleasure at this segment we're about to go into. It's called get Iced Up with Smitty is basically our ice breakers, So be prepared for anything. Smithy. I'll let you take it. Favorite

childhood cereal Captain Crunch Crunch. It was flavorful, especially when they started throwing the flavors up in there and got that years when on that's a hood favorite right there, that's a favorite right there. Berries and they hit the blueberries and the red berries came. It was popular. The summer activity you love to do, swimming at the Boys and Girls Club. But that was my thing, you know

what I mean. That was my thing that swim. Swims, swim, and it made me strong, It made me better, um, you know, as a as a as a football player, and you know, growing up where I grew up, because I was stronger than everybody, nobody liked to swim with me and it was a passing growing up. So swimming at the Boys and Girls Club now I know you had a ton of fast twitch. However, now you retired, So how you ain't your shoes? You got shoelaces or veil crow? I got shoelaces. Can't leave you try to

dispect the icon. I can't get caught in the bell crow. If you ask me this ten years from now, then you might get a different answer. We can. Yeah, let me trap up real quick. Well, we we really appreciate you coming up on that. And the purpose, uh, of the of our podcast really is to get the insight um and understand the the man, the woman as well inside the jersey. We want you to start off before we really get into really who Michael Vick is. Just set the stage, like where'd you grow up? How did

you grow up? All right? And and and and really how and where you grew up? How did at shape your life? Good and bad and and and so paint that picture for us. We all know you know the good and the bad. Yeah, but it but it all started from somewhere and where where is that place? It started in Newport News, Virginia, Um, a place I can

sit at home for eighteen years until I left Virginia tech. Um. You know, I moved around to a couple of different neighborhoods from the age of uh, you know, six until I was about ten years old, so I had, uh always had different crews of friends, which which was cool, and until I moved into my last neighborhood, British Circle where I grew up, where I grew up, you know, from the age of ten to like eighteen, and met all my friends who uh you know, I got to

know and still friends with guys to this day, but had dreams with and you know, thought about what life would be like with, you know, as a as a young man growing into an older man. You know, we

went through everything together. You know, we went through you know, the preteen years and the teen years and you know to playing football and li and girls and you know, everybody had their own set of goals and dreams, and you know, it was so you know, it was a tough situation to grow up in because you know, you don't know, you don't have a lot, you know, until you go around somebody who has a lot. And one of my cousins, his mom and dad was in the

household and they both had good jobs. And you know, I've seen the different side of life, and I'm like, you know, I want that life. You know, even though I don't have what we have. You know, if I can experience that and learn from that experience, you know, it helps shape and mold me to you know, me thinking like that I want more than what we have. And uh, you know, I started playing you know, football, like the age of seven, and it was like the

coolest game ever. You know. Didn't start out as a quarterback, you know, I was running back at first. That's a different story. But you know, the dreams started right there, and I was like, man, they get paid for this. You know, I'm pretty good at this. You know, I think this is something that I want to do. And you know, fast forward to you know, from the age of ten to eighteen, it was like, man, you gotta do so much in order to get a scholarship to go to you know, college, and to to play in

the National Football League. So I looked at the journey that I had to travel and I was like, man, it's tough. But as a ten year old kid, I was like, I'm prepared for that journey. So, you know, growing up in that environment prepared me for that journey. I think my friends and the guys I grew up with, the guys that really grew up with, um, they helped

me with that journey. And then you know, it was high school, college and then but when you say guys I really grew up with, I say that, Steve, because I really feel like, um, you know, my my two best best friends, my two besties, guy named Jamal Wilson and Kevin Stanley was the guys that when I we touched eight team, we all when I separate ways. They both went in the military and I went on to college. And then it was you guys that I met, you know,

over time. And you know, Kevin wasn't playing football and Jamaala wassn't playing football. I got closer with my teammates. Some of those guys good dude, some of them was bad dudes. But they all they became my friends and I hung out with him and you know he kind of made decisions and choices together, you know, good and bad, and uh, you know, it was what it was. But those two guys that I just named were, you know, my guys, and to this day, like they still like

my beasties. The ones that's gonna tell me like, no, you're making a bone head decision or you know you shouldn't do that, and they're not afraid to tell me no, you know, and that that that's been the biggest teal to the sign up. Why you know, those guys that they always been my bestties many always will being, you know. So you know, I learned my lesson with friends along the way. You know, how to determine if your friend is really a friend. You know, Mike, I played against you, Um,

long time, good and bad, and we're out. We were in the same draft class and um, and you know we're both doing analysts work now. Um, you're doing a fantastic job on Fox, you know, and I'm I'm I'm trying to keep up with you on NFL network. Appreciate it. Now, I'm gonna take this time to address something the elephant in the room, because I think it's one um journalistic integrity that I'm learning of talking about it, but just steer me in the direction if I say something, that's

if I misspeak. But basically, um, around two thousand and six, you know, the FBI and some of that stuff is starting investigation about some of the outside activity that was going on outside of uh, your employment with Atlanta Falcons, and you were um basically convicted or or or I believe plead got a plea deal with them on dog fighting and all of that stuff. And so August two thousand seventh you were sentenced and had to serve an eighteen months prison term and also had to do two

months of house arrest. You also had to pay back money to the Lanta Falcons. I believe a whole bunch of money. Um, none of us got under our under our mattresses. But you also, Mike, Mike Vick is the original highlight reel. Um, myself and many other people feared when you had the ball in your hands. When we're standing on the other sideline, I'm like, man, if that they let this dude get loose again, we in Trump.

I want to ask you when you went to prison then Michael Dwane Vick walk in that prison or was it Michael Vick the highlight real? Oh man, that's an amazing question, because Michael victor highlight Reel, walked into that and into that prison and walked in there and feeling like, damn, this shouldn't this shouldn't be me. I had too much money for this. I shouldn't have you know, I shouldn't be in this situation. You know, at first a couple

of hours, I was in there. Every time they came to check on me to make sure that I was good, and I wasn't, and they committed suicide that you know, I thought somebody was coming and locked that door to let me out, you know, and I'm like because I felt like I didn't deserve to be there. And then over time, you know, as the nights went on and the days when was longer, and the days hurt, they hurt. You know, you're thinking about, you know, the outside world.

You think about family and watching football and watching you guys, you know, you know, like men of integrity out there doing what they're supposed to be doing, because that's what everybody dreamt of doing their entire lives, unless they just fell into it. You know, very very blessed to be out there on the field in that situation. I'm you know, one of the you know, Markey players of the league, and I'm sitting in the prison c and I'm like, damn,

this shouldn't beat me. But that's time went on, I realized like, yeah, this is what's gonna It was supposed to be me. It needed to be me because I started thinking about, you know, all the people I did, hurt, all the animals I hurt, all of you know, things that I did, and the decisions I made that could have been better, and I'm like, you didn't make the

all the right decisions. You know, nobody's perfect, but at the same time, you probably made more bad decisions than you did good and that's the reason you were in this place right now. So you know, I looked at that, you know, understood it. You know I accepted it, and I was like, you know, when I leave out of here, I'm gonna come out of here a different person. I'm gonna come out of here man of integrity. I'm gonna

respect my family and respect you know, the game. I'm respect the people who try to help me in every fastor that my life and one of the best for me, and I'm not going to ignore that. I'm gonna grow up. I'm not gonna be so reserved and I'm not gonna be so you know, introvertive. I'm gonna try to open up. You know, I all those things is on my mind, and I felt like, you know, I did it, but I needed that time to get to that point in

my life. So the highlight, Michael Vick, the highlight real walk in prisonent Michael the Man came out and I'm I'm very appreciative of that in my life. What so, what did you discover about about about yourself really being put in that position twenty three hours a day. Yeah, I feel like, you know, just losing the control, you know, it was probably the biggest thing. And like I have

no patrol of you know, when I'm gonna eat. I having no patrol of when I got to go to sleep or you know, I'm pretty much on somebody else's time, you know, um but a lot of idle time. And I'm like, damn, like, you know, i gotta find a way to to to make this, you know somewhat, you know, a success story, Like man, I got it in me. I know I could do it, Like I know the decisions that was made that was wrong. Damn, I should have just did it right. You know. All I started

thinking about was the second chance, another opportunity. If I get a chance to do it all again, and I'm gonna do it this way, and i know I'm not gonna be perfect, but at least I know I'm not gonna be around those same people, you know, the same influences. You know, I'm growing up a little bit, and I wanted to show people more than anything that when I got out, I was more mature. You know. It started with Roger Goodell than he was the last person I was looking to his face and lie to, you know,

about being involved. So I was able to start with him, to break the ice, tell the truth. I was wrong. He said, look, I'm not here to talk about the past, me to talk about the future. And right then and then when I heard that, I was just like, Okay, that's it. That's it. It's it's all about the struture. And Roger Gidell told me that, and our initial conversation and that changed my life. That made me look at the world different. It made me know that the that

I had come true. Like all the other visions I had, what vision, I don't know, I got a lot of like a lot of stuff in my mind. I was, you know, we spent a lot of we we spent a lot of time like all my all the staff, all the people is working with us, We spent a lot of time just kind of looking at all this stuff about about you. And I watched a lot of things myself, and and the one thing I kept focusing on it was like, you know, I don't want this to you, to come on here and to rehab something

um that's happened. However, I don't want people to feel like that we're glancing over or were or we're giving you try. Yeah, it's all under control, baby, Yeah. But but also, like I also put myself in your position, is I've done some stupid stuff in my life. And you know when you do some stupid stuff, you sitting there right, and I say stupid because if I'm being one hunter many like playing against you. I know the story is about you. I know. I know we're gonna

get into some stories. I know, but I'm saying I'm saying all all this stuff about you, like I watched you and when that all went down, you know, being so close here in Charlotte, in Charlotte, trying to mimic the growth of Atlanta, like we we got the information like we were it was like it was happening here, and bro like sitting here and just putting myself in that position, I'm going all the stupid stuff I've done

in my life. You know how many times I've gotten in trouble and then you wake up and you you wake up with your eyes open and you just kind of that one eye you go, I hope it's I hope it's not real, and then you realize, damn, we're

still here. Like I just, I really like I really want you to kind of like just take us through that personal journey of sitting in there, because a lot of the month there's so many people like I read some of the comments, people like the YouTube stuff that every time you're on there, people are like, he's not he's not remorseful, demands for eighteen months in jail. It don't even if he's not remorseful, he's sitting in his

in his dirt right now. Yeah, And I just I personally don't cannot sit there, even visiting men in prison, myself sitting there going they may not the first week or two weeks of the first month, but this brother has seventeen other months to go. Ain't nobody getting them out. He's not getting a free PA hurt. I cannot explain the hurt from that though, Like, man, until this is how much it hurt it hurt me that it became

normal being in there. It hurt me that it became normal on a Friday night walking the track looking out at the rest of the world caused going by people going by and saying, damn, it's life that really exists out there, and I don't have freedom, you know. And you know, I just felt like from the start when I found out that I was first going to prison, I just kept looking at myself in the mirror, like, oh,

you're going to prison. You're going to prison. I know what it's gonna be like kind of imagine, you know, like you just trying to wake up from it, like, yo, is this really real? And then next thing you're still living in damn, like this is this is really happening, you know, And you know, just so it's just so sad, bro like just so um not have control. I have to having control of my entire life and leading away.

You know, I'm driving, and I'm driving the train. I'm starting the train everywhere and every direction I wanted to go, and then I just I stared it off the track, boom, and now we just crashed. You over there, you're banding, and it's just damn like you know, you just got to pick up the pieces, man, I really pick up the pieces and get myself together, and like lost everything, lost off everybody but my wife. Everything with my wife. You still standing there, standing tall in the end, you know.

And even when I was telling her when I came back, like uh, somehere, I'm on a bench right now on

the third quarterback, but I just need a shot. She believed in you know, but she believed in me as a man, and I was gonna change, you know, and actually know another thing that like that transformation to like she's just been a big inspiration in my life, is just helping changing look at the world differently, understand things and know that she can be just as you know, reliable and know assertive and her friendships, you know, as a man as somebody else that I felt like I

needed comfortence Like I kind of put that you know on this on her now and we put it on each other and you know, made a stronger maybe stronger to this day. Did you think did you think she'll leave you? Did you think she s oh going through that? Um? Yeah, Steve, because um, you know I was real fouling my day. Man. I was like, oh man, you know no respect. Um, I had no idea of what it was like to maintain a real relationship and you know, to love somebody

who truly loved you. You know, I was caught up in a whole spotlight my bick life, you know, the money to fame, you know, I was caught up and all that, you know, and it took for God that like put me in a vulnerable situation where like she wrote me down while I was like, yo, no, I I'll change it all. I'll give it all up, you know, just to have you. You know. So I you know, I thought because of that, because I went through that with her prior that. When I left, it's like you

made another bone head decision. You deal with that yourself. No, she was there. She's right there when I came home, every step of the way as a phone call. Damn, that's true. Lords. You know, That's why I learned loyalty like it can come from It can come in a lot of different ways from a lot of different people.

And I respect that. So you you basically twenty almost almost thirty years old, and you're just figuring out what real loyalty is, especially coming from the hood, from the hood where we we think we know a loyalty is just because of you know, when you're in the bottom or you gott is your word. Yeah, also talked to just naturally. We talked to distrust too, right, So that's that's already ingrained too. So when you have an experience like Mike had and you have these people that fail you,

it gets stripped away. But man, thank thank god, your wife was able to stay with you through that entire stretch. And it was and it sounds almost as if she was a motivating factor when he was behind the wall. Yeah, she was the strength. She was the strength that they that first two weeks when I cried every day, like see me on the phone, Stoomby, all right, all right, you can get you got this, you could do this. I'm like, I don't, I don't. I don't know what

you're talking about. Don't you know? You do out there living, breathing and as you supposed to me. And I'm right here dealing with this crap, you know, And I'm blaming everybody. Now I'm pointing finger and this person that for now, I'm just I'm upset, you know, I'm mad. You know that that that that kid to keep unlocking that door. Ain't let me out, you know. So I'm like, yeah, I'm stuck, you know what I mean, I'm in the box right now, you know. But she was just always

encouraging me and you know, making me laughing. You know, we talked for hours. I ran that bill up crazy, and then I had like a eight thousand dollar bill when I left. I was only there for like I was on with the inssial prison. I went to just as a holding facility when they were just holding me. Um. I stayed there for about maybe like forty five days.

So yeah, I left like an eight thousand dollar phone bill because all and and the way the phone was set up was that you can just call back right after talking fifteen minutes and you gotta call that you can call back and talk. I was just keeping on the phone all day, all day, and that's you know. That was that that bridge the gap and helped me get through that little part and to uh they took

me to Leavenworth. So and I was relieved when I went to Levenworth, man, I was I was at a prison camp, so I wasn't like behind no serious wall, even though when I first pulled up, they pulled me up in front of the Levenworth Prison, the real prison, and I was like, oh god, they got me this time, you know. And the guy was like, you know, he's up. You know you ain't going over there, You're going over here, and you know, but you know, it still was you know,

it was. It was a facility where it was like you couldn't leave it, you know, you couldn't. You couldn't leave it. And enough so man, it was just you know, being in Kansas and being away from my family, losing that connection, you know, that was tough. Man. And then I had I had three young kids too. I had my my oldest son, and then my my two daughters and my youngest daughter who was twelve now name is London. She was just born in a month old when I turned myself in, So that was a part of that.

Her too be part of her. Would you would have made it if your wife wasn't there to talk to you every day? No? Um, Honestly, that's another good question because that's something that I never um been asked or I had a conversation with people where it came out. I'm gonna no, I don't think I would have made it. If my wife lived, would have left me because basically I would have had nobody and I was not gonna just let any random person come and sit and talk

to me about the munch enough. Um. I felt like the only person I could talk to at the time was her. I thank god she's listening, because she used to come visit and we'll spend three days in the visiting room. You only get twenty four hours in a month total. You know, we'll spend eight hours a day, three days in a row, and just burn it on and sit there and just talking. We were argue and fright and laugh and joke, crying and kiss each other. And you know, I need I needed that strength. When

I knew she was coming to visit. You know that the week was went. She made the time to go by faster. I say that, and uh, And there was nothing physical. It was all mental and emotional and I respected that part. It was really cool experience, man, and just dealing with that now, you know, like we're like inseparable. We have to take a break and the morning thinking

we gotta pay some bills. I love cut to it, and I love it even more when you download us and subscribe and you can fow us on social media too, Smithie where where at that's at? Cut to it on Instagram? What about Twitter? At? Cut to it Facebook? Cut to It featuring Steve Smith singr. What about online? And you can follow us at cut to It podcast dot com where you can buy merch and you can subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my

questions answered. That's what I'm here for, a brother, cut to a podcast dot Com. I talked to you, bro, and played against you prior to you get going incarceration, and I've listened to you speak and talked to you outside of after incarceration. Bro. If you're the win incarceration about three years into your career, Bro, you still be playing right now. Just the way he sees the game, the way the way he speaks, the way he carries himself. Like got met Vic and the whole we've met each other.

We were drafting the same class we took. It's funny. I knew I was. I knew that I felt like I was respected coming out of draft class because they put you in categories in the combine, and in the combine I was. It was funny me Vic and Quincy all at that long table and there was our rotation for our drug test, and we also took the wonder lick in there. And let me tell you something, taking a wonder lick with some dudes that know they're gonna make it, but also some dudes who didn't really pay

attention to school as well. We were all looking at the look tests like, I hope you got the answers because I got it right and so I was class and I believe one of the best draft class because you got Drew Brees and the drafts, Michael Vick, Antana Moss, Reggie Wayne, the data, I mean, just Michael's It's unbelievable even down to uh, the the other guys in that draft class. Right, Damn Morgan, Right, there's so many. Man.

I remember watching your broadness, like seeing you to day, hearing you today, like it's just a remarkable that what you went through for most people would hurt them. You grow, you grow just like me. We grew up in in in what society would call us at risk youth, being at risk youth, you grew up not relying on anybody,

not depending on and not trusting anybody. However, in the midst of all your trouble and all your you know, using your word, the findness that uh with with the way you conducted yourself in your relationship with your with your better half, right, it sounds like that you actually learned how to really connect and have a transparent and real relational relationship with your your wife at the first time, non physical and almost a true courtship. Yeah. I learned

to communicate with her. I learned to talk, so I learned to get feelings out of her that that I needed, you know, that I needed it and she needed and um, you know, I really wish I had my dad in my life, you know, growing up, because I felt like he would have taught me a lot of things in terms of relationships. You know, he was there, but I didn't see you know, you learned by example, so I

didn't see him being affect me. I just didn't see him talking to my mom and sitting her down and you know, having you know, maybe a serious argument, but then you know, you know, it all boils over and then andy back to you know, the back to the normal, the normal self. I didn't see that. I've seen it

in the different lands. It was a little rough but you know it was more you know, it was you know, it was only abusive, So I don't keeping really you know, so I was like, you know, I had no real concept of what, you know, relationship was supposed to be like, so I think you know this in that the time period, she kind of helped me to, you know, learn like what a relationship was supposed to look like. And the best part about it that you just said it was

just it was non physical. And then that's so I think that helped, you know, help the both of us in a sense. I know, every situation is different. So what was the reinstatement process for you? Like, because we hear like reinstatement, you hear, you know, you hear guys are frustrated with my reinstatement. What's the deal? You know, as if as if the NFL or the the institution suspending them because they don't like their outfit that day, right, you know, I want to know, really, what is the

what is the process? Like give us detail of you know, not to get anybody in trouble. It just kind of paint the paint the picture. Because I mean I've been suspended and I had to do the evaluation process. You know, I punched you guys, so I had to go. They flew me. Actually, uh, I think they drove me. Jake drew me in flow. I don't know which time though, but anyway, they drew one time. They drove over the time we flew and I had to do evaluation with

a counselor. And that evaluation stunk because I was fresh off that I don't care about, right, I felt justified in my actions, and so I had the evaluation. It was literally a ten hour process, right and so, and they basically came back and I was like I was sitting in the whole evaluation body language. I was slouched down, hat to the side, like, look, I'm just gonna do my time, trying to go through the motions. You know.

But your your step was a lot more tedious. It required a lot more energy and a lot more meetings because everybody does that. You to slap on the wrist. You just moved on with your life. What we know is not true because most most of the places you've been on really don't want to. I want to really know what you would tell They want to know why did you do that? What were you saying? But we

want to know the process. Man, I don't want to know why that shirt look good on Mike Vin, you know, I want to know what goes, what goes through the whole process. Specific I'm trying to look like a handsome my skin brother like myself. No doubt, I gotta give you that. I gotta give you that. Let me say, let me say, man, it was, it was. It was rigorous.

It was tough process because, first of all, when I was on pre track, right before I went to turn myself in to go to go to prison, all right, my wife and one of my friends told me, like, you know, don't you know, don't don't smoke. I'm like, well, I'm stressed out and I need to I need to smoke, you know, Uh, I need to smoke marijuana. I needed this is what I need to do. They're like, no, don't do it. Like you know, I'm not gonna get tested. Boom, I get tested. Now I'm in the drug program with

the League. It sprints up my probation like everything, just like I got snapped down on me. And so my process was tougher because I was in a in a drug program and now I'm getting all these questions about you know, why did I you know, smoke marijuana before I before I even went into prison, and knowing that I was suspended from the league, So I put myself

in a vulnerable situation. So my process really started. It started with Roger um uh being Roger met and and I told you, He's like, look, we're not here to talk about the past. We here to talk about the future. And then we had we had conversations and he was like, well, you know, I'm gonna send you over to another group to meet where And it was like a group of like ten people in the room with myself and they

grilled me. They asked me questions from eight to Z about my friends, about family, you know, about money, about uh, the dogfighting, the truthfulness is a lot of things that had to come out, you know that that you know, it was the one sided with with the media. Um but and I hadn't had a chance to sit down and talk with everybody. So in my evaluation process with

what type of help did you really need? And it was you know, I think that figured out like Yo, you're really not you know, a psychopathic person, You're really not crazy? You know. Um, you know what happened to you. You know, you could have made better judgment, it could have made better decisions that we think you acknowledge that it and we see your the mpaty behind what you're saying you're gonna do, and you know, we feel like you really care. You know. So that was that was

kind of like a two month process. Um and and and also it was a plan and not have me, you know, start as a you know, being started. When I came back to the league, I couldn't see it that way, but I think just behind it was, you know, we don't know what type of reception you're really gonna get, you know, so there's a lot of like we're ready to risk it all for you. Um. We we love your respect you as as a man and as a football player, and we're gonna give you a shot and

see how I go. And that's all I wanted. So you know, it was designed for me not to be a start. I think I landed in Philly was a blessing. I landed in Philadelphia and yeah, so so that was it. So it all happened within like uh maybe like a six month time spa because Tony Dundee came to visit me in prison. He helped start the process. Um, and then help you know, just to just see me, talk to me. UM. A couple of representatives from Atlanta Falcons came out to Blank, came out, Um, spoke to Andy

Reid on one occasion. UM. So so yeah, I was just kind of like going through you know, just that normal you know what it takes to get reinstated process. And I've never been through it before. But you know, just what I did before made it harder. And then uh, I thank god Roger made it easy. At the end, I was I became a free agent. Uh, you know at plus I think of thirteen years and man, when I was going to free heading up the free agency bro it was like and ten teams interested in me. Yeah.

When I finally hit free ah C and the Panthers released me, Man, it went to like fol teams. Yeah, and I was really it was really different to be a free agent for myself. It was it was a oupen. I was older, so you know, I didn't have as many teams. I'm wondering what the you know, what was the free agency process for you? And then how did

you come to the conclusion that Philly was the team? Well, Philly was the only choice, and it was like they didn't make me go to the Philly but they it was like set up to you know, go learn from Donovan. My agent thought it was Joe Segur at the time. I thought it was a great idea to go sit behind Donovan. They already head Kevin Cobbon. You can kind of work yourself back into shape. But I'm like, yo, nah, it's Buffalo needs a quarterback. I think they had Trent

was at the time. And then uh, I think causing Palmer just part of ways with with Cincinnati or they needed to back up he was there for like his last season and maybe, but I was just looking at those situations like those are possible opportunities for me to come back and start and get myself back in shape and come back and show the league that you know,

I'm back and I'm ready. And and you know what I realized my first practice in Philadelphia, before I talked about how I got signed there, I won't ready my legs the shot. My body wasn't in shape. You know, they took the weights when I wasn't when I was in prison, so I couldn't work out. Um, so you know when I went through that process, it was like Philidelphia wants you and then get it work for Andy Reid. You know, you get the book behind Donovan, you don't

have the start. You can just take a year and get yourself together. And then it started to make sense to me Um when it was being explained to me, especially by my agent, and you know, he's like, you just don't want to go up and go out there and then look like you know nothing, and then you know you're getting booed by the fans and they're protesting, and you know, you turn the city upside down just like that. You know, just kind of work yourself back into it. And I thought that was the right way

to go about it as I thought about it. And you know, like I said, I wanted to be ma sure about my decision making in that process, and you know, didn't want to disrespect any read it all. I thought he was a great coach um from a far anybody working with Donovan, And I felt like it was a year I could just go learn play there for a year or be there, learn as much as I can do my job, and then hopefully go somewhere the next year.

In free agency, you lost so much control. Yeah, you know, in your carceration, and now all of a sudden you have a little bit of opportunity, and now you you you're back trying to control that thing, trying to remove God from his play. And and and and as this song goes, Uh, instead of taking a wheel, you, instead of letting the Lord take the wheel, you want to take the wheel back. I wanted the will I wanted

I wanted the ball in my hands, you know. And think about it, It It hadn't They had nothing to do with football, Like my I wasn't playing bad football, you know before I left. Oh, I know, I remember you wasn't playing bad ball, playing bad ball at all. So I'm like, I gotta get back and back. What was it? There was no football to prove, now that I think about it, it was no football to prove. And it's

it's the same that they take. It took this conversation, you know, eleven twelve years later to realize the football wasn't the issue. You know, it was the issue of you know, what I was returning from and how people felt about it, realistic, you know, and and and that's that's what it was, you know, that was that was the fight and I now see how you um, you know it was navigated to to to make it a

storybook in there. So the job well done to Andy and Rogers, Asian Joe, you know, and and all those guys you know who played a major part in it, you know, um Tony Dundy, you know. It was allso tutor and you know, and my guys get together even get some good, good results usually, So thank god for that. Hey, Mike, you you were gonna get into the free agency story with with going to the Eagles, but talk a little bit or would you tell us the relationship you have

with Donovan McNabb. I know you talked about how he had an influence with you and and and you know all that stuff. But you were getting recruited by Syracuse. He was already there. Yeah. Yeah, Donovan was my idol man. Donovan made me believe that I could I could play college football, um and play my style of football, like when I was in my saying year. I think he

was in his junior year. And you know, I watched them my freshman sophomore year, like his freshman sophomore year Syracuse, and I'm like, yo, man, this dude is baller, like he looked like me when I'm in the backyard with my boys, like he looked like me, or I looked like him. And I'm like, man, you know what, I'm watching close to see if he go to the NFL and see if the league draft him, because they they

don't take quarterbacks like that. And I think he I know he can be good if he if you know, if the team believed or if he got a shot. You know, I'm just looking at him from a talent perspective. So he was like my idol. And then my my senior year, I took the visit to Syracuse and spend some time with him down there, and he can persuade me to come to Syracuse because I just didn't want to follow somebody else's legacy. I wanted to create my own. But I still, you know, when I went to the Tech,

imired him from Afar. I've seen it. He got drafted. He gave me hope, and I'm like, man, this dude demand you know. So the first three or four years in the NFC championship games multiple times and I'm like, man, that's that's sty worked. So he just I just continued to stay a fan of his. And you know, once I played two years of college ball and got to

the league. Donald was one of the first people I called to help me make a decision on if I was ready to come to the NFL, and he stold me, look mad, if you feel like it's nothing else to prove,

then then then you gotta make that jump. So he was influential and that, and then you know, I always was a fan of his, And even when we had to play against each other and go ahead the head, it was like fun, you know, and that you know the times, you know, he's the reason I didn't go to the Super Bowl, you know, a couple of years, you know, so you know, he wouldn't let he wouldn't let little bro get one off. He wouldn't let me

get the win. But it was cool. And when I went to Philly, it was like, Man, I'm a stepping in the locker room with you know, not only a friend, but really somebody that I idolized growing up. So I get to watch him work and see why he went to the NFC championship games and played in the Super Bowl, and maybe the next time around for me, I can take a little bit of that with me, so I have relationship. Uh was was real, real, real unique, and uh,

you know, Don was a great dude man. He kept me laughing every day and I just some days, I just I don't believe I was in the locker room with him. It was that real. I think it's about that time. Just take a little breather it cut it, let's get down to it. Hey, Gerard, why did you get that T shirt? You mean this thing? Oh yes, I got it from cut to a podcast dot com where we have exclusive merchandise. Shout out to our guys

at seven or four shot. But yeah, you can go on, buy you a T shirt, subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Now, after everything's going on, you get picked up by Philly. Did you have to have precautionary things put in place? Uh? If so, were you know where you wasn't voluntary on your part or wasn't it wasn't required? Yeah, I had a curse you out of Kerfew. I was a grown man with the Kirkfew. You know,

I had to be in the house. But like ten bullcraft happened one day, got it one day and then you know, well, not me, but people around me and then not that Kirkfey went there when you're like it's five o'clock and I couldn't leave Philadelphia one time. Stories are I'm told, but you know, um, you know, just just still was kind of like, you know, straddling the

fence a little bit. Now I was doing what I needed to do, but still like some of the wrong people just showing up at inconvenient times and little things just happening that was just I had nothing to do with it. Nothing note out of my control. It's just like it was like, well, what are you doing around this person? Now? I wasn't around him. He came around me,

you know. So a couple of those little issues which made to you know, a lot of restrictions when and I was on probas soon you know, I saw obviously in the probation officer and the council like two or three times in the week like it was. It was it was mind boggling, like they you know, I had counsel that came every weekend. I couldn't dodge him because that was mandated about the NFL, you know. Um, but he helped me out. That man was there for me.

Like that season, I started like he was. He became my best friend, still one of my great friends to this day. Man, and um, you know, I got so much respect for him, Man, I got so much respect for him. We still talk about the world and what's going on in social justice. Nack. You know, he's he's he's a white man, you know, he's and he's like sixty sixty eight years old. But his perspective on life is amazing. You know. I almost kind of looked at him as as a father figure. So that was one

great thing that came out of that. The whole situation. It was a lot more. But you know, I met a guy who, um, I could say to this day care about Mike vickor man, you know, I don't care about football week conversations with sending so far outside of football that you know, it became real personal and uh you know, so yeah, you know, daughters Rick Bay. But I've worked my way through it. I navigate. Well, you

just heard part one of Michael Vick Steve. When the VIC story broke and all this came out and became public. What was the reaction of from you and players around the league? Way you you didn't believe it? No, no way,

like nah he couldn't been doing this. And as as things kind of kept unraveling, you started to see that that was there was a true rabbit hole that they were in, all the different stories and and it was it was unraveling at a rate that was so rapid it was hard to really process is it, Is it true or not? And but here's one thing we all know. I don't care where you grew up. I don't care

what you're in or not into. When the FBI come knocking on the door, and as they ain't doing a wellness check right they already having, it's really is how big of all, how deeper of a whole are you gonna dig yourself in? It shocked all of us. And it shocked is Even more is the time that he received and what he had to do and what he went through. It was really surreal. And he living here in Charlotte. We were getting a lot of information because

it ain't none but three hours away. So as they say, the streets were talking, there was a lot of stories out there that good, batterer and different. I don't really I don't. I didn't really listen to them, because hell that the same stories you could say about a ton of different people, right, being a football player, uh is no different or being an athlete, celebrities, entertainers no different than anybody else's life. The only the only difference is you get to see our lives on fold in front

of a camera. The question is if we followed you around with a camera twenty five, what will we find? And people forget that? You know? So so before you get your before you get your threes, smooth stones, you know, get get them skeletons at yours. So that was really cool. I hope you enjoy it. Um, but also no, there's two parts of that, parts of coming up. Yes, and there's even it's even more so. I love it. Cut

to It with Steve Smith Senior. That is Me is a production of Cut to It, LLC, Ball Too, Creative Media, The Black Effect, and I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. From Cut to It Executive producer Steve Smith, Senior, co host Gerard little John, talent and booking manager joe yus

She social media manager Payton Smith. From Balto Creative Media, Cut Too It is produced by Brian Baltaschevic and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrek, production manager Sarah Pollock, Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and vocals by Anthony Hamilton. You ain't heard about it, then we're about to let you know. It's all