PETA Issues Surprising Response to Michael Vick’s New Collegiate Head Coaching Job

PETA has responded to the report that Michael Vick has been named the new head football coach at Norfolk State University.
In an exclusive statement to Us Weekly, the animal rights organization said, “As long as Michael Vick’s new position doesn’t put him within shouting distance of any dogs, PETA wishes him no ill.”
Vick, 44, pleaded guilty in 2007 to being involved in an illegal dog fighting ring that operated out of his Virginia home. He spent 21 months in prison.

Per an agreement with authorities before sentencing, Vick agreed to deposit nearly $1 million in an escrow account to reimburse others for the costs of caring for the confiscated dogs from his property.
In 2011, Vick supported the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which established federal misdemeanor penalties for spectators of illegal animal fighting and made it a felony for adults to bring children to fights. The law was passed in 2012.
Vick — who played a total of 13 seasons in the NFL, including seven after he was released from prison — announced his new coaching position via social media on Tuesday, December 17.
“It’s an honor to announce that I’ll be the new head coach of Norfolk State University…looking forward to coming back home,” Vick shared on Facebook.

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Norfolk State is a historically black FCS school in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference located in Norfolk, Virginia, Vick’s home state.
Though the move has not yet been officially announced by the school, The Virginian-Pilot was first to report the news on Tuesday. The outlet said an introductory press conference is expected within a week.
Tommy Reamon, Vick’s former high school coach at Warwick High School in Newport News, Virginia, told The Athletic on Tuesday that he has been advising Vick and plans on joining his staff at Norfolk State.
“I am so excited for him to do this because I think he’ll be a great coach,” Reamon said. “He’s so personable, and he is charismatic. You’ve gotta be charismatic [to coach] in 2024, and that’s why he is gonna win. I’m excited to watch him as he communicates with the children.”
Reamon added, “Michael has the voice. People are gonna relate to him especially when we get in these houses.”
Vick will replace head coach Dawson Odums, who was 15-31 in his four seasons at Norfolk State.
After a celebrated two-year collegiate career at Virginia Tech, Vick was drafted No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001 and was a superstar in the NFL until the dog fighting conviction temporarily derailed his career. He returned to the field in 2009, playing with the Philadelphia Eagles for several years before spending a season with the New York Jets and then the Pittsburgh Steelers. He officially retired in 2017.