During his 13 season playing career, Michael Vick established himself as one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowl selections. Yet Vick will forever be remembered for his involvement in an illegal dogfighting scandal. In 2007, Vick plead guilty to charges and spent a total of 21 months locked up in federal prison.
Michael Vick isn’t the only member of his family to have an NFL career — or into legal trouble. His younger brother Marcus had a brief tenure with the Miami Dolphins. He’s also run into trouble with the law on several occasions. Here we recap Marcus Vick’s stalled football career and his various struggles staying on the right side of the law.
Marcus Vick’s college football career
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Marcus Vick established himself as a talented quarterback prospect while attending high school in Newport News, Virginia. He was good enough to earn himself an athletic scholarship to Virginia Tech — the same school that his older brother Michael had played quarterback for. Vick was redshirted during his freshman year in 2002, and showed flashes of promise during the following season.
By most accounts, Vick was primed for a breakout season in 2004. Instead, he was suspended for the entire year due to a variety of criminal convictions brought against him. The main case involved Vicks’ consensual sexual involvement of an underaged girl. Although he was ultimately cleared of sex charges, Vick received three guilty verdicts for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Later that year, Vick was also charged with possession of marijuana and reckless driving. He was reinstated the following year, and his strong play quickly moved him up from third-string to starting quarterback. Yet further legal troubles and on-field incidents finally led Virginia Tech to dismiss Vick from the football program in January 2006.
Marcus Vick’s brief NFL career
The day after his dismissal from Virginia Tech, Vick declared himself eligible for the 2006 NFL Draft. Although many analysts speculated that he could get picked as early as the third round, Vick ended up going undrafted. His various legal issues — and his questionable character and work ethic — likely played a large role, since he remained an intriguing talent.
Following the draft, Vick went to a Dolphins free agent minicamp, and was ultimately signed by the team to a league minimum free-agent contract. He spent one year with the team, only seeing game action on a single occasion. In that game, Vick came in as a wide receiver in the 4th quarter, but did not receive any passes. At the end of the season, the Dolphins chose not to resign him.
Continuing legal troubles
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Marcus Vick continued to find himself getting into legal and criminal trouble following his brief stint in the NFL. On one occasion, a drunken Vick was arrested on charges of DUI, fleeing the police, and reckless driving.
Although he received a 12-month jail sentence, a judge reduced it to a fine and a suspension of his license. Various parole violations and related fines followed.
In 2016, Vick was arrested on charges that included felony assault on a police officer, according to The Roanoke Times. At the time, the officer was attempting to serve Vick an arrest warrant for evading a 2013 civil court hearing.
Later in 2016, Vick was arrested again — this time on charges of drug possession, according to Bleacher Report. Vick once again was able to negotiate a plea deal that spared him any jail time.
Another drug arrest — and suspended sentence — followed in March 2017. Since then, Vick has managed to stay out of legal trouble. In July 2020, his period of supervised probation is set to end. Hopefully, Vick can celebrate that milestone by setting himself on a less troubled path through life.