Player Storytelling: Michael Vick (Part 2)

you know, through our housing program. As we build houses for inmates to live in, We're gonna hire the fellas to come in and do the wealth in the compentry, to do the painting, you know. So we're gonna create this massive platform. You know, and while you know men and women are in concrated, they can look forward to something. You know, they have to work at it, you know,

it's it would being Center Bates. But if they qualify, if they do everything they need to do, then they can come to be a success story in their own right. So I think that's very important just for the next generation. We're also gonna have a youth program, uh, you know, where we speak at detentions and and try to catch the kids earlier before they become a problem and try to help stay them and write direction. And you know, like I said, it's it's not about me anymore. It's

about helping others. You know, my kids got to grow up in this world that you know, at times can be very intricate, and um, you know, we asked ourselves like why, you know, why does this happen? And why does that happen? You think some people are crazy? You know, it's just sometimes they just don't have no guidance. And uh, I want to educate as many people as I can. I'm want to help as many people as I can, but I can't do it by myself. I needed help

with others. And if I can affect you know, a hundreds of people a year, two hundred people a year to give them an opportunity in life, and I can do that over a lifetime and that's program to continue to carry on. So it's just something that I'm so excited about. Man. I just feel like this would be my greatest accomplishment in life if I can pull it off.

And uh, I feel like I'm having the right conversations with the right people who believe in it, who understand it, and uh, you know, when it's all sitting done, there's so many people will be able to say, you know, I contributed to something so great. I think we can all be proud about it. Michael, When when we're players and even current players, my dad makes a statement, he says, son is not what people don't know that hurt them,

it's what they do know. That's not true. When you were playing, did you ever have the thought, man, the league doesn't really care about us. Are once the teams are finished, they don't care. And then you go through your challenge and you talked about the support coach Tony Dungeon, You talked about Commissioner Roger Goodell's involvement, You talked about the teams that also gave you another opportunity. Was that a surprise to you, how well supported you were, Michael,

It wasn't a surprise. It was a surprise of Roger. But they will not be honest about this because I looked him in his face in a lot about what I've been involved in. Um, you know, one because I had so much respect to him, and two because I was scared. Um then I was young at the time. Three But you know, when I came home and I had an opportunity to recreate the narrative and and talk to um Roger and show him that I was different than I'm mature. You know, now, I just need an opportunity.

That's pretty much at all I was asking for. And you know, with most people, they just don't have anyone that they can turn to it and you know, say, look, this just be a crutch for me. Just help me out, Just give me one shot. You know that shot never comes um. And you know, of course they can't go out and create it. UM. But I felt like the league really supported me when I came when I came back,

and for whatever reason, you don't thank God. But yeah, it's a lot of guys, maybe eight percent of them who retired from the league. Their career is over and they just they don't have anything to do, they don't have anything to fall back on. I think the league does a great job of creating of the programs that they have getting us ready to transition out of the NFL. But do everybody take that serious? No? You know, do we feel like sometimes it's just passing time? Yeah, somebody

be honest. But those are the things that we really have prepare attention to because it's there force you know, we don't always get a coach like Andy Reid, who two years later after I retired, invited me to come do a coaching internship with the Kansas City teach. So that was another opportunity I would have had if I hadn't had an opportunity to go and work for Fox as an analysts. Um. So yeah, everybody don't get those opportunities. Man,

That's why you got to create your own. When you have your own platform, you guys need to be educating themselves and thinking, you know, continue is from now, twenty years from now, you know, not about you know what's happening right there in the short term. Form Were you surprised by the falconswa Arthur blinks support even though you were no longer playing with the team. Was that a

surprise to you how much he really came out to support. No, it wasn't a surprise because one thing I know about Arthur Blinker is that he loves me as as a

man and as a person. Knew than anything, he loved you know, my family, you know, you know, probably my wife wanted he you know, he loved me because he respect you know, the respect my wife and what we've been through and he's been there, you know, every step of the way, and so it didn't surprise me where he he flew in and brought me my favorite dinner from my favorite restaurant, you know, you know stony. Really I didn't uh out in Georgia, man, So yeah, I

mean I was just thankful. And I didn't have a dime in my pocket. I had nothing, I had no money. I was in ain't grubcy, you know. Of course I wanted to say, Mr blank, can I borrow a hundred thousand dollars please? I need it. I don't have anything. But you know, regardless of what I was going through, I always believe in myself, and they knew that I would come out on the other side better. It was just a test, you know. And uh, you know what's

going back to my prison reform program. It's about trust, you know. Can I trust you? Can I trust you to go through the proper steps to go through all the classes and curriculums they passed to qualify, and we come out. We'll be a crunch for you for a year. We'll help you out transportation, housing, you know. Can you stay the course and and not have an excuse at the very end. You know, that's what it's all about.

So sometimes you got to give people an opportunity, you got to mons from and make sure that they fall in line with what they say that they're gonna commit to. And I believe in that as a as an In central part of the NFL Letings podcast, it's about our guests, our guests journey. You've experienced being in concerated. Can can you touch and share with us? What was your experience like being in prison? Uh? Yeah, I break it down. Um, the first month, it was just a lot of pain.

You think about everything, man, you know, you worked so

hard for in your life. You think about all the people that you let down and you hurt um that you may have lied to, and then you look at your surroundings and say, okay, well it led to this, and then you know, it's just this like outpour of feelings and emotions and you know a lot of a lot of tears, a lot of crying and for a person of you know my statue, Yeah, yeah, I grew up in you know, public housing and it was rough, but I never had to sell drugs, are doing anything

to put myself in a vulnerable situation. Where I went to prison. So I didn't know what prison life was like. I didn't think it was for me. I never thought it was for me. So I'm looking at myself in a place where it's just unforbidden territory. You know, it's like being in the dungeon, you know, when and when you when you walk out that dungeon doors like a castle.

I'm like, man, I just had everything I wanted in life, and now I'm here confined with you know, I was in entirely taken finding by myself, so that made it harder. You know, it wasn't in the interaction with anyone, UM the whole time, you know, the first sixty days until I finally went to leaven Work prison camp, which was more so for me. Um, But it's still you know, you're locked up with a lot of people and it's just you know, too many men together every day. I

just say that, like it's just too much. Um. You know, you gotta find ways to entertain you know, yourself, and block out the world because that can drive me crazy. So I learned to play chess, I learned to play all types of card games. I learned to play dominoes. UM found ways. I just spend more time playing chess

than anything. Once I learned, um, and there was the way to just kind of help me, see you, to think critically every day, keep my mind off the world and you know, but but it's tough, it's not it's not the easiest thing to do. Um. You know, as a man, you we can handle it. But it's just having to deal with knowing that it's freedom on the other side, which drives you crazy. And um, depending on what you did and make it worse. You see what I'm saying, Like, whatever you did to put yourself in

that situation to be in prison makes it worse. So I did what I did. I'm like, wow, I could have totally avoided that and the gate that in my life. I'm here and and I gotta deal with it. And I'm pretty sure every other man and there goes through that door. They should, right, um, if they have some type of pride. So it's really weird. It's very weird. So while they're were you just Michael or were you Michael Vick, depending depending on who walked in the door.

So you know, like do people coming and going? Um, So when you're from in our friends walked in their funny story, you know, walking I walk in around lunchtime and like it's like one of the worst parts of the day. It's like a frenzy in in in the child halls what they call it, and uh, you know, walking in. But it's packed on both sides and it's really excgregated. It's white side into black side. It's black sad is full. You know, I gotta you know, I

wanted to sell the white side. You know, I don't see color, you know, I wouldn't And I could just see people whispering. You know, I don't know what they're whispering. I don't know what they're saying. Well he want to set with them or I just didn't care. I just needed to see, you know, it's my first day and I'm a little nervous and this thousand people in the you know, in one area, and I'm like, but I feel like they were just looking at me as Michael Vick.

And you know, if I was just a normal you know, it's the average inmate, you know, without a name and just I probably have felt even more comfortable. I was uncomfortable because now everybody's like there years and size and me up. You know what it is not the biggest guy in six ft two pounds. That's Sam. Hey, guys whispering. I thought he was bigger than that. How you doing that? And he was that that side. I'm good, I'm good. You know, Mike Vick up and him Mike Vick the

football player. And then as guys came, you know, and got to know me, I became Mike. And then you know, as I got to know them, you know, as you know, so everybody came in looking at me like wow, it's Mike Vick, and then they got to know me, it was like, that's that's just Mike, you know, just like us. And I respected that. I appreciated that part of it too, because you know, I wasn't I wasn't Mike Victor football

playing and I was Mike Victor. Man. Wow, I want to move to your just just a system, and you have some work that you've done with it in Kansas City. You've also partnered with the City of Atlanta, the Mayor's office, and George's Department of Corrections to make an impact against recidivism. Yeah. I talk about the p A T program and its primary focus, but the focus is the youth reform mentorship

program you know, to helping juvenile delinquents. You know, that's gonna be you know a lot of work and will be you know, financially supporting formally and conservating men and women, a rental assistance and purchasing properties for families in addition to the partying with with private companies to help carry out out objectives. I think that's gonna be extremely important. So those you know programs that already exist to reacy grant some months also to ever see you know, whatever

help from us that they may need. Um, we don't want to reinvent the weather what they are already doing. We just want to kind of fall in line. Um, you know, using you know, like I said, the local agencies, state referrals, you know, the prison boroughs to help us out a lot in the transitional programs. But I plan on this program, you know, starting out in Atlanta. UM, if you're starting to Landing and Virginia my hometown where

I've been. UM, and that direct connection with a prison woar and and and the prison counselor who's kind of helping me put the program together and telling me exactly what's needed. UM, that's how I found out about the house and the transportation part and uh, you know, just

still crazy. You know, this whole program where it's it's a lot of moving parts, and yes we have to scale it down, um, but I'm excited with where we at right now because you know, I just know, like I said, man, it's nothing better than helping people and the people who don't have an opportunity. And look, as long as you know the crames and I'm gonna be honest, like the crimes just getting be crazy at what they committed.

You know, it's people who just need a second chance because you know they might have had you an notterication with somebody or the you know, it might have been shot lifting or quarter to als for whatever reason. You know that. I don't mean they don't deserve a second chance,

you know. I think it's up to the prison systems to evaluate these people and make sure that these people are you know, consciously aware of what they what they did and how to prevent it moving forward, and not that someone is better out there from on the other side. So to be able to do this, I just continue to tell everybody is to be one of the greatest accomplishments that I ever be involved in. Uh, you know, as we pull this off, so you know, and it's

not about me. I think that's what makes it even more special. As we wind down, I want to highlight a couple of things that I know you've been doing your efforts to get back at a player level. Talk about being a mentor to younger players. Why is this so important to you? Yeah, I look at this next generation of quarterbacks, man, you know, they're all just so special. Man. They you know, it's it's a mixed bag. They all

look different. You know, some look the same, some something different, but you know they have that ultimate respect for you know, the ones that came before, and they let it be known and they're not afraid to say it. And it's showing in the game and showing in the growth of the game. Like Lamar has a coach that coach league in Philadelphia. When I came back the year I bought

I wanted to comeback player of the Year. His name is James Urban and James had me in Philadelphia and he got Lamar in Baltimore and he you know, he we talked about Lament and before he even stepped on the field, and he just told me about all his qualities and how he is the person. And I just listening and you're like, you've got all the qualities that you have. And man, Lamar has spoke a lot when he was in college. You know, we used to have

long conversations. Um. Yeah, we used to have long conversations just about the game. And he was asking the questions and like, well we'll just talked for a long time. He was going through trying to pick an agent and what he should do, and people were trying to you know, so that whole little and I'm just using that as an example. But Lamar listened to everything that I said, and I didn't have to say anything. I don't have

to anything else tol him. Now, you know, he's a growing young man and he has to go through his experiences. The only thing I never wanted these guys to do was you know, screw up their opportunity. Like I used myself as an example because I had the greatest platform, and then you know, I felt I failed from grace. You know, so nothing's more important than your family and what you work so hard to become in your life, and those guys being you know, faces of franchises and

quarterbacks in the National Football League. You know, every man can't say that. You know, it's only it's only about realistically. Maybe in the history of the sport, make five six thousand people say they ever lined up behind the senate in the National Football League. That might be on a little bit on the hut side, but you know that means a lot, and cherish that and don't take it

for granted. This is a great opportunity. So I try to mentor them as much as I can on what not to do, because I can always praise him on what they're doing right. You know, if I see something wrong, then maybe if I can say something without them, you know, taking it with a form of disrespect, then you know it's signed up a great young man. As we close it out, one of the things that we've had guest speakers to the podcast, let's talk about their commitment to

community service as a legacy building. And I would say, for you, why is that important? I believe in. I just believe an opportunity. I just believe that people don't get it. Some people just don't care. I can go back home in the city of newper News, where I'm from and I can see a lot of people that you know, just need a little help, you know, they

just needed a little bit um. You know, when I got so much and I got a lot, and I looked at these people and I'm like, if we can just help implement um you know, the Boys and Girls Club direct centers down here, refurbish them. And I did one last year while took the Boys and Girls Club where I grew up, and I just you know, refurbished the whole thing, you know, put computer labs in there, and put a game room and there, just made a place where kids can come and just get off the street.

You know. I know how important that was to me. And I did it, and I did it last year with the help of you know, Fox and a couple of responses, and that felt really good. And when I did that, I was like, you know, I want to do more, but I wanted to do more with a purpose, you know, a bigger purpose, because I know adults, men and women can help the kids that they're raising, the kids in the community, you know, generations to come spread the word. But I just like that. I just like

to help people. Man. And uh. After doing so many football camps and meeting so many kids and watching them grow up and go off to college, have an impact in their life, and you know, being able to do Thanksgiving giveaways and Christmas drive toy drives and still have people come up to me and say, I appreciate it when you did that. You know, years ago you gave me my first bike and I gave me this, and

I'm like, man, that's really cool. I want to continue to do that for the next twenty thirty years and as long as I wanted earth, That's what I always do. You know, it's not about me anymore. I do my part, you know, God to bless me if I could bless others, and that's ah. You know that's the longest short over the needs, you know, helping out the community is trying to rebuild, help people. Well, we're looking forward to seeing the continued work that you're doing to confront the recidivism

and to continue to inspire change. Michael, this has been an amazing the podcast. Thank you so much for joining us, Thanks for listening in, and the best is yet to come. You can't said they're better. Thank you, and ladies, I appreciate you. Man. You won't respect all right, this has been the NFL Legends podcast. To provide feedback or request the topic for discussion, email us at NFL Legends at nfl dot com.