Michael Vick’s past has followed him to the broadcast booth.
So while Fox Sports landed the former NFL quarterback as a new studio analyst, not everybody is happy. Especially an animal advocacy group, Rally for Animals, which is asking supports to boycott the network and its sponsors over the hiring.
The online petition has more than 34,000 signatures.
Vick spent 21 months in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring.
At Fox Sports, he’ll be a studio analyst on FS1’s “NFL Kickoff” show that leads in to “FOX NFL Sunday,” and Vick also will appear on other shows.
“I’m very excited,” Vick told USA Today. “Over the last seven or eight months, I’ve done a lot of interviews, and I think I’ve gotten better as I’ve been put in those situations more often. Things really came together (with Fox) over the last couple months. They have shows that I have always watched and admired. My friends and family are thankful and proud of me.”
Vick spent this summer as a coaching intern with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Before he went to prison, he was one of the league’s most popular players. In 2006, he became the first QB to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2015.
