There was good news and bad news coming out of Philadelphia Monday.
The good news is the Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick to a six-year, $100 million contract extension, officially cementing his comeback after a stint behind bars and allowing him the financially flexibility to repay creditors.
The bad news?
The Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick to a six-year, $100 million contract extension, reopening the door for critics that are determined to see him fail on and off the field.
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In the eyes of the Eagles, Vick’s performance on the field in 2010 made him worthy of becoming the third-highest player in the NFL. Vick relied more on his arm than his legs, passing for a career-high 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns in only 12 games.
When Vick landed his first major payday in 2004, a 10-year, $130 million, as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, you could make the argument that he wasn’t worthy of becoming the league’s highest-paid player. While electrifying on the field, his numbers, outside of his rushing statistics, were pretty average for a quarterback. Just 32 games later, Vick’s world was turned upside down after he was convicted of felony dogfighting charges.
Along with his legal woes, Vick filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2008, owing more than $20 million to several creditors. Despite the $40 million in guaranteed money, Vick has hardly hit the jackpot. He will be living off an expense allowance of $300,000 a year while creditors will collect a majority of his millions.
According to Joseph Luzinski, Vick’s financial adviser and bankruptcy trustee, the quarterback will be able to pay off his creditors by 2014 — the fourth year of his six-year contract.
Having a financial adviser in Vick’s corner this go-round will ensure he doesn’t make the same mistakes like he did as an immature 24-year-old, buying multiple houses, cars and yachts.
“It’s a lot of money, however you look at it,” Vick said. “Obviously, it’s going to create a lot of demands. I know what comes along with it, and I know how to handle it. But it’s not even about the money. It’s about the changes that have been made in my life. Kids have an opportunity to see that you should never count yourself out. But at the same time, don’t put yourself in a position where you’ve got to make a miraculous comeback. That’s not what it’s about.”
Prior to this week, all eyes were already on Philadelphia following an aggressive abbreviated off-season. Over the span of two weeks, the Eagles signed a plethora of free agents including cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins, running back Ronnie Brown and wide receiver Steve Smith.
Granted the preseason is often meaningless, but Vick has had an up-and-down three games to date, including a three-interception performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It doesn’t help that he’s been under the microscope since he was released from prison in 2009. He had a serious case of poor judgment last summer when he attended a birthday party in his honor at a club. Vick had a verbal altercation with, Quanis Phillips, one of Vick’s co-defendants from his federal dogfighting case. Shortly after Vick left, Phillips was shot outside the club. While Vick wasn’t a suspect in the shooting, it provided even more ammunition for the critics. Outside of that incident, Vick has been on his best behavior.
For a small percentage of the population, there’s nothing Vick could ever do to redeem himself for his mistakes. After the Eagles signed Vick in 2009, The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released a statement stating they were “disappointed” that Philadelphia signed “a man who hanged dogs from trees, electrocuted them with jumper cables, held them underwater until they drowned in his swimming pool, and even threw his own family dogs into the fighting pit to be torn to shreds while he laughed.”
Before the ink was dry on the contract, the local media in Philadelphia wasted no time questioning Vick’s future motives from here on out.
“He had 100 million reasons not to be the man he was before he lost everything. Now the deal is done and he has 100 million temptations to go right back to his old ways,” columnist Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote Monday.
“That doesn’t mean engaging in the criminal and sick behavior that got him in trouble with the law. It means being the arrogant superstar who coasts instead of works, who gave Atlanta fans the finger literally (once) and figuratively (many, many times) who was more interested in his posse than in his teammates. Now that the deal is done, we’ll start to learn whether Vick really has changed or whether he has acted the part just long enough to regain what he lost.”
The Notorious B.I.G. said it best: “The more money you make, the more problems you get. And jealous and envy is something that comes with the territory.”
Prove them wrong, Mike.
