Michael Vick is throwing a bash on Saturday night to officially usher in his retirement. Then, as you've probably heard, the Falcons are playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday. With everything coming full circle, Vick authored a piece on The Players' Tribune on Wednesday called, simply, "Atlanta," which highlighted just how much he loved being the quarterback for the Falcons.
After reliving all of the good times that he had with the team, he then pivots to the unfortunate way things ended. It's at that point that he admits that, through all the low points he's had in his life (going to prison, going bankrupt, fracturing his leg, etc.) "rock bottom" came on April 26, 2008, when he learned that the Falcons had drafted Matt Ryan as his replacement while he was still locked up in Leavenworth Penitentiary.
Vick says he found out from a fellow inmate just moments after hanging up on his mother, who happened to also tell him that his grandma had a stroke. Though he tried not to show emotion, Vick said the news was like a gut punch, since the one thing he hadn't lost up to that point was the title of starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.
As the article put it:
"I know sometimes people will say it’s like they’ve been “punched in the stomach” when something bad happens … but I’d never really understood the expression, until that moment. Matt Ryan. I just kept repeating his name, in my head, again and again. Every time I thought about what it meant, it took the air right out of me — but I couldn’t help it.
"Matt Ryan. As in, the quarterback.
"Before that moment, I didn’t have much. I didn’t have my money … or my reputation … or, worst of all, my freedom. But I did have one thing. I had those five words: Mike Vick, quarterback, Atlanta Falcons.
Despite his initial feelings, Vick says his current relationship with Ryan is "great," that Ryan has his MVP vote this season, and that Ryan's success has comforted Vick since he would've felt guilty if his replacement was a bust. He also says that he's on board the team's bandwagon:
"It’s funny: A lot of people are surprised when they find out how passionately I’ve been rooting for the Falcons this season. They assume that there is some sort of tension between us, some level of bitterness. And even when I tell people that it isn’t the case … I have a feeling they may not exactly believe me.
"But if you could see me watching these games … man, you would believe me then. I’ve been living and dying with every play: Pumping my fist after every touchdown. (And thankfully there have been a lot of touchdowns.) Watching every field goal attempt through my fingers. (And thankfully most of them have been good.) I’ve just been a fan."
In the rest of the article, Vick talks about his dominant Madden doppelganger, whom he claims he was terrible with; his appearance in T.I.'s "Rubber Band Man" video; and his emotional return to Atlanta for the final game at the Georgia Dome just a few Sundays ago. The piece is well worth reading. We recommend it, especially if you were/are a Vick, Falcons, or NFL fan.
