Report: Norfolk State interviews Michael Vick for its coaching job
“I know how to lead and I know what it takes,” the former Eagles quarterback told the Virginian-Pilot.
Norfolk State reportedly has interviewed former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick to be its next head football coach.
The Virginian-Pilot reported Monday that Vick, 44, who served 18 months in prison on a dogfighting conviction in the prime of his career, told the newspaper he has spoken with university president Javaune Adams-Gaston and athletic director Melody Webb about the position and expects a resolution “soon.”
Norfolk State fired coach Dawson Odums in November after a 4-8 season. In Vick, the Spartans would be getting a coach without experience but one who redefined the quarterback position at Virginia Tech and with the Atlanta Falcons and Eagles, combining a powerful throwing arm with deft feet and speed.
“I know how to lead and I know what it takes,” Vick told the newspaper.
Vick carried the Hokies to the 1999 national title game, where they lost to Florida State, 46-29. The Falcons made him the first Black quarterback to be chosen with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft.
He said the HBCU school reached out to him about the position. Norfolk State did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.
Vick was released from federal prison in 2009 after pleading guilty and serving his sentence for his role in a dogfighting ring. Vick made a comeback after he was released with the Eagles, but his prime years were behind him. He retired from the league in 2017 and has made advocating against animal cruelty a part of his mission.
He has been an NFL analyst for Fox Sports since his retirement.
Vick’s hometown of Newport News, Va., is not far from Norfolk State’s campus.