Only on 3: Watch Jessica's interview with Michael Vick's family on News 3 at 6
Beaming from ear to ear, longtime Newport News City Councilwoman Tina Vick and her daughter Teunsha Vick opened up to me about their family’s exciting new chapter.
“As the aunt, I'm excited!” said Tina Vick. “I can't wait to see you, Coach Michael Vick!”
“I’m just so proud,” added Teunsha Vick, Michael Vick’s younger cousin by just a few years. “To the public, [he’s] Michael Vick, but when I see him, I see the same person that taught me how to ride my bike right out here [in Newport News], and it makes you very emotional.”
Sports
Photos: Michael Vick through the years, on and off the field
The mother and daughter joined me for a conversation about NFL legend Michael Vick’s journey where it all began — the Boys & Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in Newport News. We talked about his triumphs, challenges and encouraging changes inside the “Michael Vick Teen Center” at the Boys & Girls Club. They told me it’s poetic that Spartans are the center’s mascot, just like the iconic Spartans of Norfolk State University.
“Who would have known from this Boys & Girls Club as a Spartan, it would have ended up as now the coach, Coach Michael Vick, at Norfolk State University,” said Tina Vick. “Behold the Green and Gold!”
Sports
TIMELINE: Michael Vick's career before becoming Norfolk State's head coach
The aunt and cousin say they’ve been cheering Michael Vick on at every turn, from the football star’s humble beginnings in the Ridley Circle neighborhood, to his stardom at Warwick High School, to his history-making run at Virginia Tech and legendary career in the NFL.
They said they also stood by his side during his conviction for a Surry County dog fighting ring in 2007. It’s a moment Tina Vick called devastating for their family.
“When you love somebody, you are prepared to take the good, the bad and the ugly,” said Tina Vick. “I always say, [let] he who is without sin, let them cast the first stone, because all of us have something that we have to be accountable for.”
Full speech: Michael Vick introduced as Norfolk State University head coach
Ever since Michael Vick’s release from prison in 2009, he’s dedicated his life to advocating for animals, serving his community, and encouraging others to do the same.
“To see his evolution as a man and now as a coach, and the walk that he's walked, a lot of people wouldn't have been able to recover,” Teunsha Vick said.
I added, “It is a story of redemption […] that I'm sure he's going to share with the young people that he is coaching at Norfolk State, and a message he's been living out, frankly, for almost two decades.”
Teunsha Vick responded, “It's so many people in this community that have had to come back from jail sentences, from teen pregnancy, from so many things. So, he’s in the limelight [but he] represents a lot of these people.”
Her mother added, “It’s the comeback story of not just Michael Vick. He's the comeback story of people's lives.”
Watch related coverage: Commanders' Jason Wright shares story of Vick's lasting impact on him
His comeback story, now nearly two decades in the making, has included a triumphant return to the NFL, a successfully career as a sports analyst, and now, a new chapter as the head football coach at a celebrated historically Black university across the water from his hometown.
“I'm just excited for these young men,” said Teunsha Vick. “He's so fired up and excited and ready to not only guide these young men through football, but guide them through life.”
She added, “I don't know if [the football players] have ever been loved like this, and I just cannot wait for them to feel the Vick love!”
It’s a love they say Coach Vick will feel from the vast Vick family at every game.
“He said […] last week that he just can't wait for all us to be on the sidelines,” said Teunsha Vick. “When somebody announces your name, and you can look up and 30 people [from your family are] in the stands, it's awesome.”
Watch related covergae: A look back at Vick's upbringing in Newport News, where his pro football aspirations started
It’s a moment they said will make their family’s journey come full circle.
I said, “So much that was planted here [in Newport News], you're now seeing that grow.”
“Yes!” Teunsha and Tina Vick exclaimed.
The mother and daughter told me Coach Vick is in the process of relocating to Hampton Roads from Florida. Spring football practice for NSU is anticipated to begin next month.
