Interviewer (2:54)

Man. You walked in the room a little while ago before we started recording. I said, hey, coach. I just instinctively greeted you as coach. I mean, do most people greet you as coach right now or is it still hey Mike, hey Michael, hey Mr. Vic.

Mike Vick (3:06)

It's, it's coach. I mean, and it just still feels weird to be called coach because so many people relate to me as a player. But you know, it, it should be referenced as coach. Now moving forward, I take it you,

Interviewer (3:20)

I mean, obviously people know the Wikipedia page. People know the bio. Rewind five years. Like was coaching on the radar for you? Maybe like 10 years ago. Like was coaching on the radar. Is that something you always kind of

Mike Vick (3:32)

wanted to get to 10 years ago? I will say kind of sorta because I was doing a lot of football camps and the one thing I took away from the camps is that when you leave a camp, you never see a kid ever again. You never find out about their development, you know, what type of characteristics they took away from the camp. You know, what's the upside? Like, how did they fare as they moved on and went on to finish part one of college or. But I always heard about them, so I knew that some of them landed in good hands. But it was always the itch of wanting to work with a player every day to see how much better I can make them in a year or two years time span. So I always knew it was something I wanted to do when it would happen. I never knew. And honestly, when I got the call from Norfolk State, I still felt like I wasn't ready, but felt like it was an opportunity that God sent for me.

Interviewer (4:26)

So what's the learning process from knowing, hey, I think I kind of want to do it, but I've never done it before to get in a call. Because most, most coach, even a former player. Most former players who become coaches, they go grad assistant and you know, they're, they're an off field analyst. It's like 10 years. Then they may get their own position room and their coordinator, their head coach. Your path's different, therefore you got a lot of stuff, fire hose to the face that you're learning every day. What's the process been like?

Mike Vick (4:53)

I've been extremely blessed to be put in this situation, but extremely humbled as well. To step into something that you've never been a part of. You only dreamt of and then when it happens abruptly, you just kind of roll with the punches. And, you know, I made it a point to call, you know, people who I looked at as mentors, but not to be worrisome. You know, it was something I. A situation I got myself in. I'm like, I'm gonna work through it now. Did I think it would go the way it went the first year? No. Or I would have never, you know, signed up for. But, you know, greatness don't come overnight. I learned that in playing college football. I learned that in playing in the National Football League. And so it really was a pleasure to be around the young men, to learn every day, to be humbled in a situation where I had no control of, but knew I can grab that control over at some point. And so sometimes you gotta go through the difficulty to. To find out, you know, what's on the other side. And so coming out of that, it made me better in a lot of areas of my life. And so I'll continue to get better as. As a head coach. I'll continue to lean on various mentors and not be afraid to ask for help moving forward.

Interviewer (6:13)

The interaction between most players with a coach is one kind of vibe I got to imagine if you're recruiting me or if I'm playing for you. I mean, I grew up viewing you a certain way. You were like a pretty big figure to me, but I almost would have viewed you as a celebrity instead of, oh, that guy's a head coach. I may one day play for him. What is the interaction like? What's the vibe like when you talk to players that I would imagine may be different than the normal coach player dynamic because of that?

Mike Vick (6:44)

I think starting out, they respect me as coach, and then as time go on, they start to hear and see everything or maybe go to Google or maybe start to inquire about themselves, you know, who my coach really is. And then they might start to, you know, look at me as, you know, a celebrity coach. They'll have questions, but for the most part, I try to, you know, impose my will on them as a coach. Look, I'm, you know, your coach. I'm your father figure. I'm somebody who's gonna be there to help you, just be a beacon to where you wanna go. So it kind of takes a while to get that, you know, like, out of their head. But once they do, it's real, genuine, and, you know, it's definitely appreciative on both sides.

Interviewer (7:30)

You talked about father figure there, which is the role a coach plays. It could be a middle school, high school, college, whatever that that coach plays that role in a lot of guys lives. Literally plays that role in a lot of guys lives.

Mike Vick (7:41)

Yeah.

Interviewer (7:41)

So I know when you say that like you're not taking that lightly but also how much or I guess I should say like how readily do you have to be ready to share all your story good and the bad with

Mike Vick (7:53)

guys all the time. Because they come into my office, they want to talk, they want to know about certain things that happened in my life. And I always tell them I'm going to be 100% transparent with them, I'm going to be candid with them and I do that so I get the same from them. So when I come to them and ask them a question about their personal life or something that I might need to know that might be really important that they don't be afraid to share that. So I feel like being open and being honest is the best policy. I learned that the hard way years ago and for sure with the young men that I'm coaching, I'm going to make sure that they take that intangible with them for the rest of their life. And so you know, it serves a purpose, you know, whether they're in a relationship, a friendship or in the occupation.

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Interviewer (11:45)

I might ask. This is going to sound kind of weird. I'm only asking it because this is how I view you. I view you as like one of the best success stories in the modern American sporting landscape. It couldn't be like that though, without the bad. Like I don't think it could be like that without the bad. So we've seen a lot of guys get themselves in trouble.

Mike Vick (12:06)

Yeah.

Interviewer (12:07)

Many of them just disappear. You never hear from them again. Your story is the total opposite. And I want to ask you when you're sitting across from a guy, could be a player, this could be another person. How different is it? How much do you feel them lean in? Because you can share that stuff and Then all of a sudden, it's no problem for them to be vulnerable to you when you're sharing that kind of story with them.

Mike Vick (12:26)

I'm really just waiting for the moment our conversations can be cordial and be genuine. And I'm getting to know you and getting to like you or maybe creating an opinion about, you know, our conversations. But at the end of the day, I'm hoping that they ask me questions. I'm hoping that they inquire about the things that I might have been through or, you know, the things that they might have seen me do or go through. And, you know, that's just. That's, you know, for them, forward thinking. For me, it's an opportunity and it's. And a, you know, a situation where I could teach in. And so that's what I'm all about, man. I don't shy away from it. It's unfortunate that some of those things happen, but God chose me to be like a beacon of success for, you know, or what success can look like, you know, if it ever go, you know, in the opposite direction of the direction you don't want it to go in. So I just use that as an opportunity to make people better.

Interviewer (13:21)

How much do you keep in touch with people? I'm from Georgia, so I'm gonna ask about Atlanta. How much do you keep in touch with people you either played for or played with in Atlanta?

Mike Vick (13:30)

Oh, a lot. Everybody within Atlanta Falcons organization. I could pick up the phone and call, have a great relationship with, from player personnel to Arthur Blank. And I really appreciate that. The door has always been open. All I gotta do is knock on it and vice versa. You know, if they call me for anything, I try to make myself accessible, try to be there for any and everybody who, you know, is there to serve a purpose or serve people. And it's not about. Just about football. It's not about money. It's about the impact that you can have and that you can make, you know, when you have a presence.

Interviewer (14:06)

You and I are sitting actually in Mike Vick hall right out here. That's the hallway you and I walked. We walked in here.

Mike Vick (14:13)

It's right around the corner.

Interviewer (14:14)

This is a much different looking place. Obviously. It is than when you played here. You're responsible for a lot of the way this place looks right now.

Mike Vick (14:21)

Yeah.

Interviewer (14:22)

What's it like walking back in here?

Mike Vick (14:23)

Just appreciation. And it's been a while since I've come here and been able to walk around, sit in the meeting room, see the changes, appreciate. I usually just go Straight to the stadium. I'm arriving late. Get to the stadium, go hang out on the sideline, might see coach Pryor, whoever the coach is at the time, and then head up to the suite and fellowship and, you know, today I really had a chance to walk around, embrace it. Coach Franklin made it feel like home. It almost made it, it almost felt like Coach Beamer was in the building. I don't know what that really mean or what I just said, but like just that comfort level, like I feel like I can ask him anything, I can inquire about anything. But I was just more so here to listen and learn and just humbly put myself in the presence of people who understand what it takes to overachieve.

Interviewer (15:14)

We were talking about the past and if, if 15 years ago you got a glimpse of you today, that'd be a, it'd be a pretty wild visual to be, to be seeing you with a whistle around your neck and your folks stayed on your head. So if we look 15 years down the road, God willing, we're all still around. What do you want to have accomplished? What do you want people to be saying by that point?

Mike Vick (15:34)

Oh, maybe, you know, he, his kids and the people he poured into really appreciated, you know, the way he treated him. You know, he acted as if he was a true leader. He allowed other people to lead and taught them how to lead. Hopefully. I have a couple players that's playing in the National Football League and if I need some money I can call him and borrow from him. Who knows what will happen in 15 years, but nah, a national championship on any level, success on all levels and you know, to continue to be, grow as a man and hopefully when I, 15 years from now, I'm a much more positive thinker, much better influencer than I am now.

Interviewer (16:18)

It's been awesome, Coach Vic. We appreciate it, man.

Mike Vick (16:20)

Thank you.

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