It’s impossible to remember now, given all that’s happened since, but there was a time when Michael Vick revolutionized the NFL. Like Barry Bonds at-bats, you never wanted to miss a snap to Vick, because there was always a chance — a very good chance — you’d see something you’d never seen before. Young, dynamic, unapologetically Black, Vick galvanized the game, and the city of Atlanta had its own Michael Jordan.
But Vick brought it all down, and few, if any, were more shocked and disappointed than Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who’d spent years investing and believing in Vick.