NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Former NFL quarterback and Virginia native Michael Vick has formally been introduced as the new head football coach at Norfolk State University.
During a Monday press conference, seen in the story below, NSU President Javaune Adams-Gaston spoke about the decision to hire Vick and how she hopes this will propel the university further.
“Right now, this transformation means that now is our time,” Adams-Gaston said. “I also just want to say a little about what it takes to make an engine run like Norfolk State University. We would not be who we are without our legislators, our friends who allow us to say to them, ‘You know this historical issue of underfunding universities,’ and then I don’t have to say the rest, because they say, ‘has to stop.’ And it stops with us.”
During the press conference, cheers of “Behold Green and Gold” could be heard as Vick made his way up to the stage. His family also briefly went up on stage, including his wife, Kijafa Vick, an alumnus of Hampton University.
“We gonna take it out on [Hampton University] at some point,” Vick joked.
Vick stated it was hard for him to walk away from Fox Sports, where he had been working as an analyst, but said it was important for him to serve young men in the community he grew up in.
“It wasn’t the easiest decision to make, you know, I got family that I sincerely care about, that I love, you know, this requires a lot of change,” Vick said. “But, at the same time, it allows me to serve young men in my community.”
During the conference, Vick also described the process of being hired, saying it took around three weeks in total. Vick was also asked about the value of being a coach at an HBCU.
“I understand the value of a HBCU,” Vick said. “The fact that it is in my hometown makes it even better. And so, it’s a great admiration for HBCUs, the NFL has numerous partnerships with HBCUs, so I think it shows that people care, you know, you’ve got these big time Division 1 programs where they’ve got all these amazing things, bells and whistles, money, and they tend to forget about the HBCUs and the schools that have the same type of prominence, and so, to start here, it wasn’t even by design.”
The full conference can be seen below:
Vick became emotional Sunday on “NFL on FOX” as he spoke about accepting the gig, saying, “When you’ve got a chance to go lead young men in your community, where I grew up watching this team… I’ve got what it takes.”
After Vick was officially hired at NSU, he released a statement saying in part,
“I am blessed and humbled by this opportunity to lead, mentor, and transform the football program at Norfolk State University.”
Before accepting the Norfolk State job, Vick also spoke to Sacramento State about its open head coaching position.
Vick doesn’t have any coaching experience, however, he is an accomplished former professional quarterback.
In 1999, Vick led Virginia Tech to the national title game. Then, the Atlanta Falcons selected him first overall in the 2001 NFL Draft, making him the first Black quarterback to be selected with the top pick. However, in 2007 at the prime of his career, Vick was convicted for dog fighting.
He retired 10 years later, making advocacy against animal cruelty a part of his mission.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
