Former NFL star Michael Vick’s appointment as head coach at Norfolk State University has been immediately overshadowed by fresh legal troubles, as three creditors attempt to force him into bankruptcy over an alleged half-million-dollar debt.
Vick announced his new position with the historically Black university on Tuesday night, December 16, marking a significant step in his return to football leadership.
ESPN sources confirmed that the Spartans were finalizing terms with the former quarterback, though university officials have remained tight-lipped about specific details, indicating they’re still completing their formal hiring process.
Inside the Drama
However, the celebration of Vick’s coaching debut has been complicated by a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition filed Monday in Florida. Creditors Gerald Lee Craig, Eduardo De Arkos, and Kathleen Safreed are seeking to recover $509,652.42 from Vick and his wife, Kijafa, claiming the sum stems from an unpaid 2018 loan, TMZ reported.
The timing of this legal challenge could potentially impact Vick’s negotiations with Norfolk State. The creditors are pursuing involuntary bankruptcy proceedings in hopes of accessing the couple’s assets to settle the debt.
Vick’s attorney, Arthur J. Jones, strongly denounced the filing.
“This frivolous attempt at forcing Michael Vick into involuntary bankruptcy is a continuation of the shenanigans which began with the secondary securities market purporting to sell a usurious debt without Mr. Vick’s knowledge,” Jones stated about the group’s effort to collect on Vick’s debt they’d bought. He emphasized that Vick had previously attempted to work with the creditors to resolve the debt appropriately.
The attorney warned of potential consequences for the petitioners, suggesting they might face sanctions from the federal court. “It is also foolish to seek media attention aimed at wrongfully harming Mr. Vick’s name and reputation when the idea should be to resolve matters instead of create new ones or waste time,” Jones added.
This latest financial challenge echoes 44-year-old’s previous financial troubles.
Selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft, Vick’s career with the Atlanta Falcons saw him become the NFL’s highest-paid player in 2005 with a $130 million contract, NFL.com reported.
Despite his promising career, Vick’s trajectory shifted dramatically following his guilty plea in 2007 to federal charges in connection with dogfighting, which led to nearly two years in prison. The legal repercussions severely impacted his finances, culminating in a 2008 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing with over $17 million in debt.
This financial strain was fueled by poor investments, unpaid loans, and lavish spending. Determined to recover, Vick leveraged his NFL return and business ventures to rebuild his financial footing and address his obligations.
Still, financial issues have persisted. In 2022, a group of creditors filed a lawsuit against him, alleging $1.2 million in unpaid loans they had purchased from Vick’s previous creditor, just as in the current case.
Despite these challenges, Vick’s appointment at Norfolk State University marks a pivotal step in his career transition. He now returns to football in a different capacity a decade after his final NFL game with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015.
His move aligns with a trend of NFL alumni, such as Deion Sanders and Eddie George, bringing their expertise to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Like Sanders, according to Sporting News, this time at the Black college will be his first coaching experience.
The new filings from the creditors could present a complex backdrop for Vick’s potential return to football, this time as a head coach.
Fans who want him to win are anxiously awaiting the outcome of this latest financial battle and hoping it does not influence his transition into this new chapter of his football career at Norfolk State.
