.jpg)
Tony Dungy on David Letterman in January (AP Photo)
Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy met with Michael Vick on Tuesday at the federal pententiary in Leavenworth, Kan., where the former Pro Bowl quarterback is imprisoned.
Vick's agent, Joel Segal, confirmed the meeting to the media Tuesday, calling the meeting "private" and "positive," according to reports.
The meeting in a lot of ways makes perfect sense.
This is exactly the kind of thing Dungy hoped to do upon retirement. And I don't know that Dungy had a visit with Vick in his mind when he retired in January, but finding a way to address the overriding issues surrounding Vick were important to Dungy. I can't say it's what motivated Dungy to retire, but the idea that there were bigger, more important issues on which he might have influence certainly made the idea of retirement a bit less unpleasant.
I didn't often bring up post-retirement plans in my conversations with Dungy over the years, and post retirement didn't come up on a daily basis in press conferences, either. But conversation naturally turned to the topic at times publicly and privately, and in recent years, the issues facing African-American youth in America came up more and more.
A lot of the concern, it is natural to assume, came from the tragic death of his son, James, in 2005, but even beyond that, Dungy often expressed in recent years that he had an overriding notion too many young African-Americans were in prisons, heading to prison, dying or just facing circumstances that a lot of America's mainstream couldn't or wouldn't grasp.
I couldn't find the quote, but I remember Dungy being asked about Vick shortly after he was sentenced to prison a couple of years back. I don't remember if I asked him privately or if it was for public consumption, but I remember the question centered on football and Dungy's answer focused on something else. The bigger issue to him was here was one of the game's highest-profile players -- and perhaps its highest-profile African-American player -- headed to prison. Again, I don't recall exactly what was said, but it disturbed him that somehow circumstances had occurred that led to the situation.
We don't know what was said between Dungy and Vick, but in the years I've known Dungy I've heard and written many stories on what a few words from Dungy can do, how they can influence, how they can resonate.
Will they resonate with Vick? I have no idea, but I know this is a cause that Dungy sees as a lot bigger than one meeting with a high-profile guy on a May afternoon in Kansas.
OTHER EXAMINER COLTS TOPICS . . .
- Re-signing DT Ed Johnson makes DT situation even better
- Top Five Nonissues facing Colts in 2009
- A Look at the Numbers of the Colts 2009 Draft Class
- Peyton Manning Top 10 underrated moments.
- Breaking Down the 2009 Colts Schedule
- Colts Rookie Minicamp
- Top 10 rookie free agents in the Polian era
- On the re-signing of LB Freddy Keiaho
- Too early to quit on Addai
- A recap of the Colts' 2009 NFL Draft
- Colts had to do what they did with RB Dominic Rhodes
- Signing of S Matt Giordano solidifies position
Comments
It is funny that the crazies have not found a way to turn your article into a Vick-bashing opportunity. (People just like to ignore underlying issues all the time).
I respect Dungy for his efforts. So much needs to be done in order to help the youths (especially black youths) today. More awareness is warranted before we can start to address the issues.
Thank you.
It's really interesting to read Dungy's own take on all this at allprodad.comm. There's a video weblog of him talking about his visit and the things he said to Vick. Hopefully hearing words of hope from someone like Dungy is what Vick needs to get him to revamp his image and turn his life around, and get back into football.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!