By Frank Pingue
(Reuters) – Michael Vick, the ever-dynamic NFL quarterback whose involvement in a dogfighting ring halted a breathtaking career in its prime, has agreed to retire and join the startup league Fan Controlled Football, told a source Friday to Reuters.
Vick, a former first overall roster who last qualified for a National Football League game in 2015, will make his debut on May 28, the last day of the regular season, according to the source who said an official announcement will be made next week. to be expected .
Vick, 41, has not yet been assigned a team.
Vick is the latest high-profile player to sign on to Fan Controlled Football, joining a group that includes Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens and Johnny Manziel, whose much-hyped NFL career fizzled out after two seasons.
According to the source, Vick agreed to a comeback after seeing the success good friend Owens has had since signing with the league this year.
Fan Controlled Football, which has doubled in size to eight teams for its second season this year, is a condensed 7-on-7 style of American football played on a 50-yard indoor field and acts as a lifelike video game that allows fans to to summon the plays.
Vick was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the first pick of the 2001 NFL Draft, making him the first black quarterback to be picked with the best pick, and he continued to dazzle fans with his breakout speed and powerful passing arm.
Vick was a standout in Atlanta for most of his six seasons with the Falcons. He pleaded guilty in 2007 and apologized for his role in an illegal dog fighting business known as “Bad Newz Kennels”, which ended up serving him nearly two years in prison.
Vick returned to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 where he served as a rarely used backup, but took over the starting role the following season and was at his best on his way to becoming the NFL Comeback Player of the Year and fourth Pro Bowl selection to earn from his career.
After five seasons with Philadelphia, Vick became a backup for the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers in what turned out to be his last two NFL seasons.
Vick officially retired in 2017 after racking up 22,464 yards and 133 touchdowns over 13 NFL seasons and his 6,109 career-rushing yards remains the most with a quarterback.
Fan Controlled Football’s seven-week regular season, which will be followed by playoffs, began in mid-April. All games are held in one facility in Atlanta.
Vick is expected to further boost Fan Controlled Football’s ratings, which surpassed all of last season’s combined viewership for five weeks into the season.
According to Fan Controlled Football, it has attracted more than 12 million viewers this season via Twitch, Peacock, NBCLX, DAZN and fubo Sports Network.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
#ExclusiveAmerican #FootballFormer #NFL #Quarterback #Vick #Retirement
Comments
Post a Comment