The Rise And Fall Of The Vick Brothers

Coming out of high school, Michael Vick was practically unknown on the national level because he played during the same time as Ronald Curry in the Peninsula area of Virginia. It was not hard for Vick to be overshadowed by Curry because, at that time, Curry was ranked number one in the nation in both basketball and football. Michael soon ended up committing and signing with Virginia Tech.

Once he arrived in Blacksburg, VA, Michael redshirted his freshman season. The following year, as a redshirt freshman, he was named starting quarterback, and it did not take long to see that he was something special. In his first game against James Madison, he scored three touchdowns in just over a quarter of play before injuring his ankle. He came back from the injury, after only missing one game, and led Virginia Tech to an 11-0 season and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game against Florida State. He was able to lead his team back after being down 21-points, but Florida State eventually won the game.

As a freshman Michael led Virginia Tech to a 11-1 record, while receiving the first-ever Archie Griffin Award as college football's MVP along with the ESPY Award for the nation's top college player. He also led the nation in passing efficiency and came in third place in Heisman voting.

Already known on the national scene Vick duplicated the record of the past season, as he led VA Tech to another 11-1 record, with the only loss being a game, against the University of Miami, which he could not start due to injury . After his sophomore season Vick decided to enter the NFL Draft due to his family still living in poverty. His decision turned out to be a good one as he was selected number one overall by the Atlanta Falcons.

As an Atlanta Falcon, Vick used his athletic abilities to win over fans in Atlanta and it did not take him long to become the face of the franchise and the NFL. His first season as a starter for the Falcons, he was voted to the Pro Bowl. He became the first quarterback to throw for over 250 yards and rush for over 100 yards in one game.

In 2006, Vick became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. Also, when teammate Warrick Dunn rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2006 they became the first QB/RB tandem in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

After the 2006 season things seemed to be only going up for Michael, but that all changed in April 2007 when his cousin's refusal to show up for his court date caused the police to come knocking at the door of a house owned by Michael.

Last summer, America was shocked when reports surfaced that Michael Vick was the mastermind behind an illegal dog fighting ring. After a long debated trial, Michael was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison. He was also suspended indefinitely by the NFL, which means when released, Vick is not guaranteed entry back into the NFL.

His future as a free man after release is still in doubt because after his release, he will be tried by the Commonwealth of Virginia on felony charges for his role in the dog fighting ring and gambling charges. Those charges could carry up to 10 years in prison.

Marcus Vick did not have the same problem with being recruited on a national scene, because his brother's success also brought attention to him. By the time Marcus was a senior in high school, he was known as one of the nation's top quarterback prospects and had offers from every top program in America. Although it looked like Marcus would end up at either Florida State or Miami, he chose to follow his brother's footsteps and attend Virginia Tech.

Like his brother, Marcus redshirted his freshman season at VA Tech. The following season, Marcus showed promise as he split time with starter Bryan Randall. Marcus was used as a quarterback and wide receiver, and showed promise at both positions. That season seemed to be a preview of another great Vick career at VA Tech, but things soon took a downward spiral at a fast pace for Marcus.

In May 2004, Marcus was arrested and charged with providing alcohol to minors as he and two other teammates served alcohol to three underage girls who Vick thought were college students. In August 2004, he was charged with reckless driving and possession of marijuana.

Those two incidents combined forced Virginia Tech to suspend him from the university for the fall semester of 2004. That also meant that Vick could not play football that season. After the semester was over, he was reinstated to the school and football team under circumstances that he could not get into anymore trouble or he would be dismissed from the team for good.

His first season back saw both good times and bad times, but the bad times outweighed the good ones. He helped led VA Tech to a 11-2 record, an ACC Costal Division title, an appearance in the inaugural ACC Championship game, and a win in the 2006 Gator Bowl.

That season also included Marcus Vick coming under fire when he gave the West Virginia crowd the middle finger after a play. He apologized for the situation and everything seemed to be back to good terms for Vick. That was until the 2006 Gator Bowl where Vick stomped on the back of the leg of Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil while he was laid defenseless on the ground.

After that incident Virginia Tech dismissed him from their university due to a numerous legal infractions and unsportsmanlike play. During his time at Tech, Vick was charged with nine traffic offenses, and convicted of possession of marijuana and contributing to delinquency of minors.

After hearing of his dismissal from Virginia Tech, Marcus had the nerve to say, "It's not a big deal. I'll just move on to the next level, baby." Oh how wrong he was!

Three days after being dismissed from Virginia Tech, Marcus somehow managed to find trouble again. He was charged with brandishing a firearm after he allegedly pointed a gun at a minor and two of his friends in the parking lot of a McDonald's restaurant in Suffolk, VA. Vick claimed that his cell phone was mistaken for a gun in an attempt of blackmail.

Through all that, Marcus Vick entered his name into the 2006 NFL Draft where he was looking to be drafted and given a chance. If he did not enter the draft with such a long rap sheet, he may have been taken high, as he had the talent of a top 5 QB prospect. He went undrafted through the seven rounds, but landed a rookie contract with the Miami Dolphins as a wide receiver. He never saw success in the NFL, as he seemed to just disappear without any word and was just released.

Marcus Vick seemed to disappear from the spotlight until the recent early morning hours of Friday, June 13, 2008 when he was arrest for DUI, eluding police, reckless driving, and driving with a suspended license. A cop on a bike spotted a couple arguing in a car and upon arrival to the car the cop asked Vick for ID and Vick sped away, but only managed to get away a little over a mile away before being taken into custody. Now due back in court on Monday, June 16 we now have to wait to see what the future holds for this once promising football talent.

The story of the Vick brothers tells us two separate stories. On one end, you have Michael, who came from nothing to something, only to have everything he worked for taken away due to a bad decision. Marcus was set up to make it big and turned out to make nothing of himself. It is up to personal opinion to consider either one a failure.

This should be a lesson to kids of America who think of sports as an outlet from their current situations. Just because you have the talent does not mean that you will always live in the top spot because one mistake can end a lifetime of hard work. You have to work for everything you want and never give up the dream even when success is achieved.