A petition calling for the NFL to remove former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick as one of four Legends captains at the 2020 Pro Bowl surfaced soon after the league announced he would be part of the festivities.
The petition has gained a ton of momentum as hundreds of thousands of people have now signed it due to his past history of animal abuse that was uncovered nearly 12 years ago.
More than 400,000 people had signed the petition started by Joanna Lind on change.org with the goal of removing the former quarterback from a role where he would “be honored” and act as a mentor for the players.
“Just saw this on Facebook and was absolutely disgusted,” Lind wrote. “When is the NFL going to take any responsibility for the behavior of its current and former players? To honor a man who had zero regard for animals is unacceptable and I would like your help to make sure he is NOT honored at the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl.”
It was back in 2007 where Vick would serve 18 months of a 23-month sentence in federal prison after he was found guilty of running a “cruel and inhumane” dog-fighting ring operation in Virginia, titled “Bad Newz Kennels.”
He would be out of the league for the 2007 and 2008 NFL seasons until his comeback with Philadelphia Eagles in 2010, where he would go on to throw for 10,959 yards for the Eagles, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring in 2017.
