When NFL legend Mike Vick served 23 months in prison for running a “cruel and inhumane” dogfighting ring and lying about it, he temporarily obliterated his public image and football career. The crime had ramifications for the NFL, Atlanta Falcons organization and city of Atlanta.
During the height of the drama, the backlash and PR nightmare was so extreme the organization suggested that Vick’s teammates distance themselves from him.
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Falcons Tight End Alge Crumpler Says Michael Vick Is Ultimate Redemption Story
The Shadow League “Locker Room” host Ovie Mughelli and guest Alge Crumpler were both teammates of Vick during this turbulent time in 2007.
“It’s a great redemption story,” Crumpler, a main offensive target for Vick during that era, said on the podcast. “Mike put himself in a dark place and accepted the responsibility for that.”
Crumpler, a tight end, was drafted by Atlanta in the second round (No. 35) after they selected Vick No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL draft.
He quickly became a go-to target for the dynamic rookie. In total, Crumpler had 223 catches for 2,944 yards and scored 25 touchdowns in 73 games with Vick. Crumpler was also one of a few “brothers” who refused to feed into the paranoia surrounding the incident and the suggestions to abandon the quarterback.
“You go back to when Mike was indicted,” Crumpler explained. “We had that team meeting.”
“I was there,” Mughelli added.
“They’re listening to your calls,”Crumpler cited as one of the warnings team brass would give the players. “Be careful what you’re saying.”
Added Crumpler: “And as a human you say, I need to go check in and tap in with my guy and find out how he’s doing. Then they try to scare you into not talking to him. So it took some time before I got a chance to talk to Mike.”
Alge Crumpler Remembers Visiting Michael Vick In Prison Against Wishes Of Atlanta Falcons Brass
Crumpler says he reached out to Kevin Winston, “our player development director at the time, and went into the office and said, ‘I want to visit Mike.’”
Crumpler says Winston got him on the list, but it was difficult because Vick’s family was visiting often, and you could only have a certain number of visitors on the list. Vick was also moved from one prison camp to another, which made his situation unstable.
“I finally got the call from Kevin that I was on the list,” said Crumpler. “I immediately booked a flight and flew to Kansas City. … It was in Leavenworth. I landed, got the rental car. I’m taking off and I pull up to Leavenworth Federal Prison. It’s like, this enormous, massive, scariest-looking place. I’m walking up the steps I go in. I say, ‘Hey, I’m here to visit Michael Vick.’”
Crumpler says the prison guards aggressively asked him for Vick’s prison number. “I’m nervous and my heart is beating. It was crazy,” Crumpler recalls.
It so happens that Crumpler was at the maximum security location and not the minimum security prison camp where Vick was held. Which Crumpler says was a relief, before breaking down his conversion with an incarcerated Vick.
“Mike’s like, ‘Hey, man, thanks for being here. I hadn’t had a chance to tap in with too many people. I learned a lot sitting here.’
“He was actively planning steps to focus on getting out” Crumpler said.
Vick Matures During Prison Stint, Leads To $100M Contract and Redemption Song
Crumpler saw a transformation in Vick. Not a broken man, but a man with understanding, optimism for the future and acceptance for what he did.
“I was like … Mike has a plan,” Crumpler continued. “Mike is humbled. He had a chance to sit with everything that’s going on. His responsibilities, and how he’s going to make amends, and he’s done well. He’s come out and spoken to many groups and done things. He still gets a lot of backlash but he keeps his head forward and says, ‘Look I’m gonna do the most positive things I can. Can’t change every part out there, but I’m gonna change as much as I can.”
The $100 Million contract that Vick signed in 2011 with the Philadelphia Eagles following his prison stint was most impressive to Crumpler.
“He got that call from Tony Dungy, they got him connected with Andy Reid, brought him up to Philly and the next thing you know he’s throwing five TDs against the Commanders and I was like, ‘OK, he’s got it. He’s on his way.’ It’s been a fun ride to watch after that.”
Michael Vick Named Head Football Coach At Norfolk State
Michael Vick’s appointment as the head football coach at Norfolk State University is a landmark moment in the life and times of a former iconic athlete who has gone from a tragic cautionary tale to a true redemption story that will continue to inspire others for years to come.
Being sent to federal prison for dogfighting at the peak of his career as an Atlanta Falcons quarterback is no longer the defining moment of Michael Vick’s complicated football legacy. His culturally transcending and legendary exploits on the field laid the blueprint for the proliferation of dual-threat talents such as RG3, Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and many more, that rule today’s NFL landscape.