Former NFL star Michael Vick, whose career ended due to a prison sentence because of his involvement in a dogfighting ring, said his mistakes — and their consequences — showed him “God was real.”
Vick opened up about what he learned during his 23-month federal prison sentence in an interview last Thursday with Associated Press sports writer Rob Maaddi, who hosts the weekly radio program “Faith on the Field.”
Maaddi asked the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback if his fall from grace could have been God’s effort to “humble” the superstar.
“I knew it was God the entire time,” Vick said. “When I was going through everything that I was going through, I just felt for a long time that there was a black cloud over my head, that there was nothing that I could do right.
“I knew the things that I was trying to hide from was finally catching back up with me and it showed me that God was real, that you are not bigger than anybody, not better than anybody,” he said.
Vick went on to say that God “blessed” him during the most trying season, which he said “was all about just putting myself in a position where I could see life in a different form.”
“And I think it took me 18 months to realize that, but that was being in a prison cell,” he admitted.
Looking back on the last few years, the 36-year-old Virginia native said there came a time when he started to feel like money and his NFL success were the most important things in life. But Vick received a rude awakening in 2007, when he was sentenced to 23 months in prison for his involvement with the dogfighting ring, “Bad Newz Kennels.”
At the time, federal authorities seized more than 70 pit bulls who were involved in the ring from Vick’s property in rural Surry County, Virginia — a home that has since been converted into the Good Newz Rehab Center for Chained and Penned Dogs.
During his time behind bars, Vick said he drew hope and inspiration from Scripture.
“The book of Psalms was very powerful. I leaned on the book of Psalms in my toughest and my most sorrow moments, when I felt like I had no fight left,” Vick recalled. “Those were the nights that I read those Scriptures and was able to wake up a new man the next day.
“I always seemed to get broken down and have to resort back to the Bible,” he continued, “and resort back to reading it as a form of comfort and that comfort came from the man upstairs.”
While in prison, Vick said he prayed God would give him a second chance. And that’s what happened.
After being released from prison in 2009, Vick signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. He started 12 games for Philadelphia in 2010 and 13 games in 2011. In total, following his time in prison, Vick played seven seasons with three different NFL teams.
“I screwed up one time. If I get another opportunity, which is what I prayed for, then I had to make the most of it and I had to be real about it and be truthful,” Vick said. “And I got that second opportunity. So that was my responsibility. The promises that I made to God, I had to fulfill those responsibilities.”
And Vick, who just officially retired, is hoping to continue making his mark with the NFL.
In a recent interview with ESPN, the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback said he would like to return one day as a coach.
“I would love to coach in the National Football League one day,” Vick said. “[A]t some point, I’d definitely love to help work with young quarterbacks and develop them and still compete, you know, with the team and with the coaches.
“It’s another way to chase a championship. You know I’m not done. I’m not done by any means,” he continued. “You know I didn’t get the championship when I was playing, so, hey, maybe I’d get lucky one year, maybe fortunate enough to join the staff that may be good enough.”
(H/T: ChristianPost)
