After news broke that Norfolk State University had hired convicted animal abuser and former NFL player Michael Vick as head coach of the school's football team, the animal rights group PETA announced They are raising their voices against the university.
PETA Director Ingrid Newkirk released a statement calling Vick “mentally insane” and detailing her experiences with Vick, who was on trial for participating in an illegal dog fighting ring in 2007. fox news Reported.
“After interviewing him at PETA's offices in Norfolk, Virginia while his sentence was being considered, and listening to him tell me bold lies about the poor dog, I found him attractive. “He's never going to fight a dog again. PETA still works with law enforcement to arrest dog fighters.” ,” Newkirk said in a statement.
Vick's own father told the media that the then-Atlanta Falcons quarterback engaged in dog fighting. But it wasn't until police executed a warrant in an unrelated case on Vick's property that they discovered evidence of dog fighting and arrested the NFL player on that charge.
He ultimately pleaded guilty in 2007 to charges of “conspiracy to engage in interstate commerce travel and sponsor dogs in animal-fighting ventures in support of illegal activities.” He spent 21 months in federal prison.
After serving his time in prison, Vick attempted to begin making amends by publicly supporting Pennsylvania's anti-animal cruelty bill.
“When I was at Leavenworth, I wanted to change everything about the direction of my life. There are no excuses for my past, but it would be worse if I didn't do anything. , we can reach people that most activists can't reach,” he explained at the time.
Despite trying to reform his image, PETA expressed doubts about his sincerity and continued to criticize him on this issue for years afterward.
In any case, Vick resumed her NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and also had stints with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, but her career ended by 2015. However, he has since turned to coaching, becoming the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends in 2019. Now, he's jumping in with both feet as the head coach at Norfolk State University.
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