This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories.

Michael Vick is a former NFL quarterback whose story is defined by a meteoric rise and a

criminal conviction for dogfighting.

Following his release from prison, he experienced a notable redemption, returning to the

NFL for seven seasons.

Here's Michael Vick with his own story.

You know, I grew up in poverty, you know, surrounded by a lot of friends, a lot of things

going on in the neighborhood that I grew up in, a lot of influences.

You know, just the ordinary lifestyle, you know, of a young black kid, but, you know,

with aspirations.

I knew I had a gift, you you know when I was about seven years old

like every day my motivation was to go outside and you know do something better to try to

better myself at the game that I love at such a young age and I didn't understand my passion

you know back then when I was when I was that young I just wanted to have fun doing it, but everybody around me always, you know, told me that I look different from everybody else.

And I think it was because, you know, at a young age, I always practiced.

I know it was a lot of challenges growing up in the neighborhood that I was in.

And, you know, I always felt like, you know, I needed an edge.

I needed to have a different visualization of what everybody else in the neighborhood did.

I wanted to be different. You know, even though we grew up together, even though we all ran together,

have fun together, I wanted to be different. So, you know, my ask for races was to make it to the NFL.

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