Michael Vick agrees to become head coach at Norfolk State, his first coaching job in football
By Sam Joseph, CNN
(CNN) — Four-time NFL Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick has announced that he will be the next head coach of Norfolk State.
The 44-year-old, a Newport News native, made the announcement on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
“It’s an honor to announce that I’ll be the new head coach of Norfolk State University… looking forward to coming back home,” he said in the post.
Norfolk State has not officially announced Vick’s appointment. CNN has reached out to the school for comment.
Since retiring from the NFL, Vick has never officially held any coaching position. In April 2018, he announced that he would be the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends in the Alliance of American Football (AAF), a new professional league. However, the team announced in February 2019 that he would not serve in that position and the league folded two months later during its inaugural season.
Vick played 13 seasons in the NFL and helped to revolutionize the quarterback position with his dual threat ability. He is statistically the greatest rushing QB of all time with 6,109 career yards on the ground, the most by any player at the position, though current Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson is only 108 yards behind.
He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons as the No. 1 overall pick in 2001 and signed a 10-year, $130 million contract with the team in 2004, though his career was brought to a screeching halt in 2007 by the revelations of his involvement in an illegal dogfighting ring. He was suspended from the NFL indefinitely.
In December 2007, Vick – who pleaded guilty to a federal charge – was sentenced to 23 months in prison. He subsequently pleaded guilty to state charges and received a suspended three-year sentence.
In the summer of 2009, after serving 21 months in prison and two months of home confinement, Vick was reinstated to the NFL and sought a second chance to continue his career.
The Philadelphia Eagles gave Vick that opportunity. He spent five seasons with the Eagles (2009-2013) before stints with the New York Jets (2014) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2015). He announced his retirement in 2017.
Vick will be looking turn around Norfolk State’s football program, which went 4-8 this season. The Spartans play in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), the second-highest level of college football behind the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Norfolk State, a historically Black university (HBCU), is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
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