Cardinals' Kyler Murray apologizes for wearing a Michael Vick jersey while posing with his Pitbull

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray made headlines after sharing a controversial Instagram post on Tuesday. The post featured him sitting with his pit bull, Trunks, while the quarterback wore a Michael Vick.

The post received backlash on social media as Vick was indicted and convicted on federal dogfighting charges after a 2007 investigation. After the outcry on social media, Murray deleted the post and apologized for his actions on Wednesday.

"I saw how it affected people and decided to take it down," Murray said. "I apologize to anybody and whoever I affected by (posting) that."

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The two-time Pro Bowler said the Vick jersey was a display of his admiration for the former quarterback. Murray said his two dogs are not mistreated and he condemns animal cruelty.

"In no way, shape or form do I condone animal cruelty or dog fighting," Murray said. "For me personally, you all saw me wear the Michael Vick jersey, a player I admired very much growing up. My dogs, Trunks and Swoosh, they both get treated like kings. In no way, shape or form do I condone any of that."

Vick was arrested in 2007 after the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback admitted to helping finance "Bad Newz Kennels," a dogfighting ring, which involved pit bulls. He was suspended by the NFL in Aug. 2007 after his indictment.

Kyler Murray discussed lack of passing involvement for his Cardinals teammate

Kyler Murray's role with the team was seemingly under pressure ahead of the season, but the All-Pro quarterback has led to a 2-0 start after wins over the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers.

However, despite the team's undefeated start, Murray addressed the lack of targets for teammate Marvin Harrison Jr.

“There's only 1 ball and I've said before I wish I can get all my guys 10 or more targets. Sometimes Marvs gonna get 10 and other times he’ll get 3. It is what it is,” Murray said.

The Cardinals have two consecutive wins to start the season for the first time since 2021, but their undefeated start will be under threat against an undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Cardinals Nation! You can check out the latest Arizona Cardinals Schedule and dive into the latest Cardinals Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash