Michael Vick would still be engaged in dog fighting had he not been caught and prosecuted. He admitted that Monday morning on the Dan Patrick radio program in an interview during which he touched on his year as a Philadelphia Eagle as well as his time in prison.Vick was open with Patrick whose questions covered what could have been uncomfortable topics. But then again, Vick was also promoting his BET series, “The Michael Vick Project” that premieres Tuesday at 10 pm ET.

He told Patrick about his early introduction to dog fighting “I was seven years old the first time I saw one,” Vick said. “It wasn’t organized. It was just taking place in an open area in the neighborhoods.” But he knows it’s no excuse, “It really doesn’t override the fact that we should have known better,” Vick said.

And then he admitted the sad truth about what would have happened had he not been caught. He answered Patrick’s direct question about whether he would still be engaged in the business of dog fighting: “That’s the scary thing,” Vick said. “I think about it. I would have continued to put my life in jeopardy. From a distance I would have still been involved.”

Although many organizations and fans believe Vick shouldn’t get another chance, some believe he deserves a shot as expressed in this article by an NFL sportswriter, “Michael Vick Deserves Fresh Start”.

About his prison experience, Vick said he was challenged by other inmates while incarcerated but he dismissed it as merely the norm for that environment. On the other side of things, he told Patrick was asked for his autograph by some inmates.

And while he will be eternally grateful to the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeffrey Lurie for the chance to reenter the league, he still yearns to play quarterback on a regular basis.

Vick said he would return to the Eagles if a trade isn’t worked out in the off-season. “If I had to, I would, just because I’m thankful,” Vick said. He insisted his body is ready for many more years of NFL work load.

This is just a taste of what we can expect from the show in which Vick and his family appear and which he wants to use, to “restore my family’s good name., as quoted at phily.com in a review of his show.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

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