Marcus Vick
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| College: | Virginia Tech |
| NFL draft: | 2006 / round: Undrafted |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
Marcus Deon Vick (born March 20, 1984) is an American football quarterback and wide receiver. He is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2006 but was released from the team on May 1, 2007. He is the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and the second cousin of former-Oakland Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks.
He played quarterback collegiately for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team, starting every game in the 2005 season after he had been suspended for the entire 2004 season after he was charged with crimes in two separate incidents. [1] He was dismissed from the football program following that season "due to a cumulative effect of legal infractions and unsportsmanlike play."[2]
Marcus Vick has been involved in multiple traffic and minor criminal violations in Virginia resulting in convictions, and as of June 4, 2007, was the defendant in a civil lawsuit on behalf of a 17-year old girl alleging they had a nearly two-year long sexual relationship and that Marcus Vick offered to provide her alcohol and marijuana and asked her to have sex with other men.[3]
Childhood, family
Marcus Deon Vick was born to Brenda Vick and Michael Boddie on March 20, 1984, in Newport News, Virginia. His parents married about a year later, by which time they had four children, Christina (Marcus's older sister), Michael (Marcus's older brother), and Courtney (Marcus's younger sister). After their parents wed, the children elected to continue to use their mother's name as their surname.
The children grew up living in Ridley Circle, a public housing project in the financially depressed and crime-ridden East End neighborhood of Newport News not far from the massive Northrop Grunman Shipyard and local coal piers. During his children's younger years, their father, Michael Boddie, had a job which required a lot of travel. Their mother, Brenda, worked relatively low wage service jobs that included driving a school bus as well as a position at a local K-Mart.
High school career
As did his older brother Michael, Marcus Vick attended Warwick High School. At Warwick High School, he was coached by high school football coach Tommy Reamon, a former collegiate and professional football player himself who had been instrumental in the development of future NFL quarterbacks Aaron Brooks and Marcus' brother, Michael.
Marcus Vick was an immediate star for Coach Reamon, compiling over 5,000 yards of total offense during his final two seasons, passing for 1,746 yards and 15 touchdowns and 702 yards and 13 TDs rushing as senior. Vick would go on to earn prep All-America honors from SuperPrep, PrepStar and Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report. Entering his senior year he was rated as the No. 6 quarterback in the nation by SuperPrep, No. 10 QB by PrepStar and ranked as the No. 7 combination (running/passing) quarterback by Tom Lemming. Vick would additionally earn second-team Group AAA all-state honors from the Associated Press.
College career
Recruitment and decision to attend Virginia Tech
Heading into his senior year of high school, Marcus Vick was one of the country's top quarterback prospects. Although his brother had taken Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia within one game of a national championship and despite Michael's close relationship with Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, Marcus did not seem sold on attending Tech.
The Universities of Virginia, Tennessee, and Miami all had scholarship offers on the table and after taking a trip with Reamon to the Atlanta Falcons training camp, even Michael was not convinced that Tech was the best option for his brother. By September, it was clear that Marcus was considering several schools, mostly because of concerns about the Hokies' scheme and its ability to prepare him for the NFL. It wasn't that Tech didn't have a great program, in Marcus' opinion, but that those other schools, like Miami (though some of these other schools were recruiting him primarily as a wide receiver), had a better track record in producing NFL quarterbacks because of the style of play. However, he ultimately did choose to attend Virginia Tech.
2002-2003
While Vick arrived at Tech with great fanfare, he did not in fact play as a true freshman. Beamer redshirted him, and he was a member of the dress squad for every game. During his freshman year, he ran a 4.48 forty and posted a 36-inch vertical jump during spring max testing. Vick threw five touchdown (TD) passes during spring scrimmages and added another in the Maroon-White game. He was 6-for-7 passing for 95 yards and one TD during one scrimmage, and turned in a 57-yard run in another scrimmage. He hit 10-of-15 passes for 92 yards and a TD in the Maroon-White game. For performances such as these, he was awarded the Paul Torgersen Award for the top offensive newcomer.
In 2003, Vick played in eleven games, splitting time with Bryan Randall. The highlight of Vick's season came during a 31-7 upset win over #2 Miami. Despite completing only one pass, Vick's exceptional running ability and the outstanding play of Tech's defense contributed to one of the biggest wins in Tech's history. In Virginia Tech's loss in the Insight Bowl to the California Golden Bears, Vick racked up 82 receiving yards, including one touchdown reception. [4]
2004: suspension for multiple unlawful incidents
Prior to the 2004 collegiate season, Vick was arrested and ultimately convicted for providing alcohol to three underage girls who "claimed" to be college students. In a subsequent incident, Vick was charged with reckless driving and possession of marijuana. He was suspended from the university for the fall semester of 2004. [5]
2004: conditional reinstatement
Vick was reinstated to the school and the football team under specific guidelines that warranted immediate dismissal from the team for further transgressions.
2005: strong playing, more incidents
Head coach Frank Beamer initially announced that Vick would enter the 2005 season as the team's third-string quarterback, but he quickly won the starting role after impressive spring practices and scrimmages. All in all, it was Vick's most successful season which saw the Hokies contending for a national championship and culminating in an impressive 11-2 record, an ACC Coastal Division title, an appearance in the inaugural ACC Championship Game in the 2005 season, and a win in the 2006 Gator Bowl.
The 2005 season, however, saw more controversy surrounding Vick. On October 1, 2005, Vick angered fans and press in Morgantown, West Virginia with a display of his middle finger to the crowd during the game at West Virginia University. Vick later apologized and made no further comments. He also pushed a West Virginia University assistant coach while coming back onto the playing field after being run out of bounds. This incident was caught on film and played on ESPN later.
During the 2006 Gator Bowl on January 2, 2006, Vick once again courted controversy when he violently stomped on the leg of University of Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil with his foot. Following the game Vick claimed the incident was accidental and asserted he apologized to Dumervil after the game. However, Dumervil and Louisville coaches all said that Vick didn't even talk to Dumervil after the game. Virginia Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver issued a statement from the university on the incident:
The unsportsmanlike conduct of quarterback Marcus Vick in yesterday's Gator Bowl game against Louisville is unacceptable behavior and contrary to the Hokies Respect Campaign. Such on-field action is not reflective of Virginia Tech football nor of the values we hold at Virginia Tech. I and my colleagues in central administration are embarrassed and this athletic administration will not condone such acts of unsportsmanlike conduct. We will review and assess this incident further and deal with it accordingly.
Additional traffic arrests
Vick had lost his privilege to drive a motor vehicle in Virginia as the result of multiple traffic convictions, including reckless driving. On December 17, 2005, he was charged in Hampton, Virginia with speeding, and for the second time, with the more serious misdemeanor charge of driving on a suspended or revoked license. [5] These offenses brought to nine the total of his traffic arrests in Virginia during the time he was enrolled at Virginia Tech. [6]
Dismissal from Virginia Tech
In 24 career games at Virginia Tech, Vick threw for 2,868 yards, 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while also running 184 times for 492 yards and six touchdowns. However, during the same period, he was charged with nine traffic offenses, as well as convictions for possession of marijuana and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.[citation needed]
On January 6, 2006, Virginia Tech announced his permanent dismissal from its football program "due to a cumulative effect of legal infractions and unsportsmanlike play."[2]
In response to being thrown off the team, Vick has been quoted as saying, "It's not a big deal. I'll just move on to the next level, baby."[7]
More non-driving legal troubles
Within three days of expulsion from Virginia Tech, Marcus Vick became involved in another incident resulting in criminal charges, this time back home in Hampton Roads. The result in court was yet another misdemeanor conviction, but only suspended jail time. He also subsequently became the target of a civil lawsuit which had not been resolved as of June 8, 2007.
Criminal charges, conviction in Suffolk, Virginia
On January 9, 2006, he was charged with three counts of brandishing a firearm, a Class One misdemeanor [8] [9], in Suffolk, Virginia. A police report stated that he allegedly pointed a gun at a 17-year-old and at least two of his friends in the parking lot of a McDonald's restaurant in the 6200 block of Town Point Road in Suffolk. After Vick's girlfriend had an argument with three people, they claimed that Vick pointed a gun at them.[10] Vick claimed that the "gun" in question was actually a BlackBerry cell phone that was mistaken for a gun and that his accusers were trying to blackmail him.[11]
Civil lawsuit, fraud and sex with minor
On December 14, 2006, a 17-year old girl from Montgomery County, Virginia, filed a civil lawsuit against Marcus Vick accusing him of molestation of a minor, fraud, and additional charges. In the lawsuit, seeking $6.3 million[12], an unnamed girl claims that when she was 15 (below the legal age of consent in Virginia) and was a student in high school, she was forced into a sexual situation with Vick, who was 20 years old, over a nearly two year long period. She also alleges Vick offered to provide her alcohol and marijuana and forced her to have sex with other men and women.[3]
Professional career: 2006-2007
Vick declared his eligibility for the NFL draft on January 7, 2006. After the 2006 NFL Draft, he told ESPN's Michael Clayton that he considered himself a better quarterback than Matt Leinart, Jay Cutler, and his brother Michael Vick.[13] The interview was aired during the 2006 NFL Draft.
2006 NFL Draft: undrafted, joining Dolphins a free agent
In the 2006 NFL draft, Vick went undrafted. Many of the NFL's scouts questioned his attitude and his ability to avoid future troubles on and off the field. Despite pre-draft speculation that Vick could go as high as the third round, he went undrafted, becoming an unrestricted free agent who could sign a contract with any team. Vick attended a Miami Dolphins rookie free agent minicamp after the draft, and was subsequently signed[14] to a free agent contract as a "wide receiver/quarterback/specialist", for league minimum pay, by the Dolphins.
He was released on September 2, 2006 to reach the Dolphins' regular-season limit, but was re-signed to the practice squad on September 4. His number was 16. On October 17, 2006 the Miami Dolphins signed him as a Wide Receiver/Kick Returner/Quarterback. He was signed from the practice squad to the active roster for the team's Week 7 game versus the Green Bay Packers. He was listed as the No. 3 "emergency" quarterback on the depth chart. His first action in the NFL was a regular season game against the New York Jets on December 25, 2006. He played the wide receiver position for the 4th quarter, but had no recorded receptions.
Released by Dolphins: May 2007
On May 1, 2007 Vick was one of three players released by the Dolphins.[12]
Notes
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/06/AR2006010601017.html
- ^ a b "University President Charles Steger Statement on Marcus Vick". hokiesports.com. 2006-01-06. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ a b Berman, Mark (2006-12-14). "Lawsuit seeks $6.3 million from Marcus Vick". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "Marcus Vick's profile". Retrieved 2006-07-01.
- ^ a b Schlabach, Mark (2006-01-07). "Virginia Tech Sacks Vick". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/06/AR2006010601017.html
- ^ "Vick, dismissed by Hokies, says he will turn pro". Associated Press via ESPN. 2006-01-07. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-282
- ^ Wood, Skip (2006-01-10). "Gun arrest continues younger Vick's fall". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "Now Marcus Vick faces gun charges in Suffolk". 2006-01-20. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Smith, Michael (2006-02-25). "Vick knows he has questions to answer". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ a b "Marcus Vick among 3 released by Dolphins". Associated Press via SportingNews.com. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
- ^ Smith, Michael (2006-04-30). "QB says he has matured since dismissal from Va. Tech". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "Dolphins sign Marcus Vick". Associated Press via USA Today. 2006-05-15. Retrieved 2007-08-25.