“It meant a lot. It was real scary at first because I didn’t know if I would eventually be a quarterback,” Vick told Blavity’s Shadow and Act, reflecting on his journey to becoming one of the league’s most revered athletes of all time.

“Just growing up and hearing about the stereotypes and the stigmas and the stories of the guys who came before me, I was always skeptical and wanted to change my position because I didn’t believe that I could be drafted as a quarterback, just based on the history and what I’ve heard and what I was hearing at the time,” he continued. “But it was coaches along the way that pushed me. Coaches that made me believe, white and Black, that I can continue to dream of being a quarterback in the National Football League one day.”

Evolution of the Black Quarterback

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week