Atlantans know all too well Michael Vick's story of dog fighting that took him off the football field and landed him in prison. Now the former Falcons' quarterback is speaking out about the Ray Rice controversy.
After serving nearly two years behind bars on federal charges, Vick got a second chance in the NFL when he was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick, who is currently a backup quarterback for the New York Jets, says he hopes Rice gets a second chance too.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t know what to tell Ray Rice right now,” Vick said. “That’s just being transparent with you right now. That situation is just so out of control. I just hope masses of people learn from this.”
Vick was speaking on Mike Francesa’s radio show on WFAN in New York City.
“As athletes, we understand the position that we’re in, and that we are superior athletes. Some things you’ve got to learn to bottle up. There are so many different ways to handle things that come about. We’ve just always got to be mindful and competent when we’re in those situations."
"Somebody told me you can go 23 hours in a day and do the right thing, and in the last hour screw up, and that’s all people are going to remember. You’ve just got to be conscious of what you’re doing and what’s going on at all times. You just can’t let things get out of character. We control everything. We control our actions, we control our movement, we control the people around us. We’ve got to take that into consideration at all times."
Rice was cut by the Baltimore Ravens this week after TMZ released a video that shows him punching his then-fiancée in an elevator. The NFL has suspended Rice indefinitely.
Vick discussed what he has learned from his own history with violence.
"I took away a lot from what I went through -- the importance of decision-making," Vick said. "And like I tell so many people now: Ray Rice has had a great career. A lot of us had great careers and everything was in our favor, and you do the wrong thing in one hour of the day and everything turns around and is obviously not in your favor anymore.”
On Tuesday, Rice’s wife, Janay Rice issued a statement supporting her husband, and she blasted the media for releasing the video.
