An online petition demanding the NFL remove Michael Vick as an honorary captain at next year’s Super Bowl, has gained hundreds of thousands of signatures.
However, despite that outcry, the NFL has no plans to rescind Vick’s captaincy.
That message was delivered by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a Wednesday press conference after the league’s ownership meeting.
Goodell told reporters:
[O]ver the last what is it? Nine years or so? I have supported Michael, and I think his recognition of a mistake that he made. He’s paid a heavy price for that. He has been accountable for it. He’s worked aggressively with the Humane Society and other institutions to deal with animal rights and to make sure people don’t make the same mistake he made. And I admire that. I know that there are people out there who will never forgive him. He knows that. But I think this is a young man that has really taken his life in a positive direction, and we support that. So I don’t anticipate any change, no.
The NFL extended the opportunity to Vick to be a Pro Bowl Legends Captain in 2020. Vick served 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to running a dogfighting ring in 2007.
However, since then, Vick has apologized repeatedly for his role in the dogfighting ring and, he’s worked with various animal rights groups to fight against animal cruelty.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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