Oust Michael Vick As Pro Bowl Captain: 500K Signatures

Editor's note: as of 11:10 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10, the petition has reached its goal of 500,000 signatures.

ORLANDO, FL — A petition to revoke Michael Vick's status as an honorary captain at the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl has gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures. The Change.org petition cites his involvement in a dog fighting ring as the reason for its call for the revocation, saying that to honor him is "unacceptable."

The petition, which as of publication holds over 494,000 of its 500,000-signature goal, asks "Does anyone else find it exhausting that the NFL constantly ignores their players [sic] criminal behavior?!"

ESPN reported that in 2007, while he was a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, Vick was handed a 23-month sentence in federal prison for bankrolling, and participating in, a vicious dog fighting ring in rural southeastern Virginia. He served 21 months of that sentence.

Reports say the dogs were beaten, tortured and even killed when not fighting each other.

"You were instrumental in promoting, funding and facilitating this cruel and inhumane sporting activity," Judge Henry E. Hudson said to Vick upon his conviction, according to the ESPN article.

See the petition here.

The petition cites the book "The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption" as saying Vick and another man personally killed an injured dog by slamming it repeatedly against the ground.

Related:

• Michael Vick: Dog Fighting Debate Resurfaces Over Virginia Tech Hall Of Fame (ICYMI)
• Michael Vick's Pit Bulls to Make Celebrity Appearance in Pacifica
• Meet Cherry, Who Survived Use as a Michael Vick Fighting Dog

"To honor a man who had zero regard for animals is unacceptable, and I would like your help to make sure he is NOT honored at the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl," the petition says.