AT NORFOLK STATE, A WONDERFUL DOG SHOULD ACCOMPANY MICHAEL VICK AT ALL TIMES

Many years have passed since he spent 21 months in prison for killing dogs, and while players with pets might reject him, Vick warrants an opportunity to coach football at a historically Black college

This is the week when lovely dogs prance at restaurants. This is the week when close relatives and friends send resplendent pictures of their pooches. This is the week when those in dire need seek pets to hang around on Christmas Day.

This is not supposed to be the week when Michael Vick, who hung and drowned dogs before serving 21 months in federal prison, is named the football coach at Norfolk State.

But this also is the time to understand why one sick deformity shouldn’t punish a man for life. Vick is the quarterback who showed us how to throw and run, a dual threat that only enlarges in NFL importance as we say hello to Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. He also played a central role in a dogfighting operation, killing canines after flawed tests. We’ve seen prominent athletes degenerate via vile scandals, yet this one spread beyond his personal plight and conviction in 2007.

Who didn’t hate Michael Vick? Who didn’t want him to die, too?

He returned as Comeback Player of the Year for the Philadelphia Eagles, helped when Andy Reid saved him. He remained in the game until 2017 and since has been seen on Fox Sports. Most importantly, he has stayed true as an animal rights activist. He learned his lesson long ago and has an opportunity to teach students about football and life.

So, why not in 2025? His program has dumped five recent coaches with losing records. Vick also has the support of Deion Sanders, who also began at a historically Black school and has made impact at Colorado with his son, Shedeur, and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. When he was introduced Monday, Vick didn’t address his dog issues. His athletic director, Melody Webb, said he has inspired and “overcome challenges.”

“His journey is one of resilience and redemption and unwavering commitment to growth,” said Webb, who thinks Vick “resonates around the world.”

He does, I suppose, in the most unpleasant ways. Give him credit for carrying on when so many wanted him to crash. Allen Iverson and Bruce Smith were in the audience when they grew up in the same Virginia region as Vick, from Newport News. This was a tricky homecoming, dotted with resentment and forgiveness. On television the morning before, he spilled tears when congratulated by Charissa Thompson, Charles Woodson and Julian Edelman. He’ll be a head coach for the first time. Will kids play for him and forget the past? What if they have dogs at home?

“This wasn’t easy, bittersweet, but when you got a chance to go, get an opportunity to go lead young men in your community, where I grew up,” Vick said. “You know, watching this team, I wanted them to be assured that they wanted me as the head coach with no (coaching) experience. But I got what it takes, I got the right people around me, and I’m ready to embark on a new journey.”

Said Woodson: “You can get the best knowledge from this guy.”

Vick has made his money in the league and on TV. Two weeks ago, he mentioned to a high school coach that he wanted to enter the profession someday. It happened quickly, with a call from Virginia state senator Aaron Rouse, who played at Virginia Tech after Vick. “It wasn’t the easiest decision to make. I’ve got family that I considered, I care about and I love,” Vick said. “This requires a lot of change in lifestyle. But at the same time, it allows me to serve young men.”

Those who adore dogs will root strongly against Vick. Almost a million people voted against him in a 2019 protest, when the NFL wanted him to appear in the Pro Bowl as an honorary captain. “I don’t know whether Vick is truly remorseful,” wrote Lisa LaFontaine, president of the Humane Rescue Alliance. “His public appearances and his meetings with elected officials could have been authentic — or opportunistic. … I suspect those who support having Vick honored at the Pro Bowl don’t appreciate the brutality of his crimes.”

The question becomes whether we let him fade or watch him return. No one is asking folks to tune into his games. But at least he hears people shout “Coach” and “Let’s go, Spartans” when he could have drifted away.

“Coach Vick,” said Webb, “is one of the most electric athletes to ever come out of Virginia. From humble beginnings to massive stardom, we hope his story will translate to student-athletes at Norfolk State. I am confident that our football program will establish sustainable recruiting pipelines in Virginia and across the country with this hire.”

Throughout his career, he should have a dog beside him, even on the sideline.

That is much more significant than winning games.

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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.