"Make you hungrier": When Michael Vick recounted his downward spiral from $100M man to negative $1000 in bank

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback and current Norfolk State coach Michael Vick is not only known as one of the best dual threat QBs the NFL has ever seen, he is also known for his off-field issues. In one instance, he went to prison and declared bankruptcy.

His financial wealth went from high to low before he signed a six-year, $100 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in August 2010. Due to poor financial management and ill investments, Vick's financial worth came crashing down to the point where he had no penny left in his bank account.

He was actually an estimated $18.97 million in debt and declared bankruptcy in July 2008.

In February 2024, Vick appeared in an interview on VladTV, recounting his journey from having a $100 million deal to having negative $1000 in his bank. His journey from high to low taught him a lot.

"It makes you stronger," Vick said (42:00 onwards). "It makes you hungrier. You know what I’m saying? It makes you feel that pressure of really having to go out and do the right thing. So, it was funny when I saw it — it was hilarious. It’s like, yo, now we can really say we started from the bottom — again. Now let’s see where God takes us.

"I didn’t have any fear. I didn’t worry. I didn’t lose sleep — my wife will tell you, I didn’t have a single bad night. I didn’t stress over it. I never let money dictate how I go about life."

How Michael Vick reprived himself from there?

Michael Vick was part of several lawsuits that tarnished his reputation and was one of the reasons for his financial wealth going down.

In 2007, Vick pleaded guilty to federal felony charges of conspiracy to engage in dogfighting and funding a dogfighting operation. He was sentenced 23 months in federal prison. He served 18 months behind bars before transitioning to home confinement.

Vick returned to the NFL on a one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. However, not a single dollar was guaranteed, motivating Vick to prove many in the NFL at the time.

"I was like, yo, I’m going to show and prove," Vick added. "I had to go earn it. And I earned it, man. That showed me that nobody was going to give me anything. More than that, it was about showing the league, showing the NFL, showing Andy [Reid], that I had the right character — that I had changed as a man.

"That’s what Tony Dungy wanted to know when he came and sat with me. That’s what Roger [Goodell] wanted to know."

Vick has not been in trouble ever since and his story serves as an inspiration for those looking for second chance.