August 14, 2009

Former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, shown during a 2006 season game, has finished serving jail time for operating a dog fighting ring and just signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. (ZT Pet News File Photo by Keith Allison)

Michael Vick Signs Two-Year Contract with Eagles: Surprisingly, the disgraced quarterback's agent confirmed a deal which will have Vick wearing a Philadelphia Eagles' jersey for the next two years. Fan reaction ranged from disbelief to indifference on Thursday evening.

NEW YORK -- It was the big pre-season game where the NFL buzz surrounded quarterback Tom Brady's debut after returning to the New England Patriots, but then half-time came, and the Philadelphia Eagles stole the show -- announcing the team had signed ex-convict Michael Vick to a two-year contract.

Eagles President Joe Banner confirmed the rumors which reportedly began earlier in the day, but hit full stride by kick-off, posted the team's "On the Inside" blogger just after 9 p.m. EST.

Both the rumors and confirmation of the deal -- which, according to ESPN, is for $1.6 million with an option for the second year at $5.2 million -- came as a shock since the Eagles were one of 26 teams that had publicly stated no interest in the quarterback.

While the Eagles will be holding a press conference Friday morning to officially announce the City of Brotherly Love's new bird, Vick's agent, Joel Segal, gave ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli the scoop on the 2001 No. 1 draft pick's contract.

In addition to the $6.8 million Vick could earn after two years of playing, he can also bring in another $3 million from incentives.

Despite the obvious distraction present at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles narrowly missed the chance for a hometown win, thanks to a botched 43-yard field goal attempt by Eagles veteran David Akers with less than a minute left on the clock.

Brady and the Patriots took the game, 27-25. Incidentally, the score at half time stood 21-6, which was just prior to the height of the Vick frenzy.

As narrowly as this game's win slipped through their hands, so has various attempts for championship titles evaded the Eagles' grasp.

Current quarterback Donovan McNabb has lead the team to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl appearance in the last eight years -- beating Vick and the Falcons in the 2004 NFC East title game, reported The Associated Press.

But as the news of Vick's deal spread, Eagles' fans hit their team's Web site, PhiladelphiaEagles.com, posting various reactions.

Eagles' user, BirdCrazy, wrote: "I have two kids, to whom I want to set a good example. Mike Vick is an athlete, highly paid, who killed dogs for fun ... great thing for the kids to look up to."

But other users didn't see the correlation to football.

"OMG ... who cares about the animals??? Seriously this is a FOOTBALL chat room, can we PLEASE stay on topic and remain focused," wrote Eagles' site user ATVcar.

Seven percent of Zootoo users who were polled before this news was announced, also shared ATVcar's point, voting: "Who cares, his talent outweighs his bad moral compass! I would continue to support my team, especially if Vick increased our wins."

Other Eagles' site users mildly supported Vick, such as CrazyLlama, who wrote "I love animals ... have a dog that I love. But at the same time I have enough common sense to see that he deserves a chance to redeem himself ... Once again, forgiveness is one of the highest forms of morality."

Yet, a good number of users expressed dismay and outrage over the deal and Vick's recent contriteness teased in commercials for an interview with "60 Minutes" scheduled to air on Sunday.

Tesstown, an Eagles' site user, posted the longest comment out of more than 100 listed as of 11 p.m. EST.

"I am completely in shock that my Eagles signed Michael Vick. I just cannot believe it," Tesstown said. "I am a life-long Eagles fan through thick and thin. I have stuck with the Eagles through bad times and never wavered.

"I am also a football fan who has had a fantasy team for the last 10 years, and Michael Vick was my chosen quarterback in two of those years, before I knew about his passion for torture and killing of animals. I cannot support the Eagles anymore," Tesstown continued in the online comment of which this was just an excerpt.

Tesstown's sentiments echoed 46 percent Zootoo Pet News' pollees who voted that: "I'd be outraged, boycott games, sell my season tickets and publicly protest my former favorite team," if Vick signed with their club.

Now for thousands of Philadelphia Eagles fans that has become a reality. And in a state, notorious for puppy mills, as well as for recently beefing up its animal forensics and investigations department -- in hopes of cracking down on cruelty and abuse -- the dynamics could be interesting.

Vick's road to the Eagles began last week when NFL Commissioner Robert Goodale conditionally reinstated Vick -- allowing him to participate in pre-season training and several games, if a team would sign him. The reinstatement came after Vick was released from federal custody several weeks ago, when his two-month home confinement ended.

Prior to that, Vick served 18-months in a federal prison out of a 23-month sentence he received in his August 2007 conviction of conspiracy and running a dogfighting operation, "Bad Newz Kennels" -- where hundreds of dogs were reportedly shot, hung, drowned and burned alive.

Part of his home confinement sentence mandated Vick to work a $10-an-hour construction job -- a far cry from his former $130 million Atlanta Falcons' contract, which made him the highest paid player in the league.

While Vick was released early from a Kansas prison for good behavior, he was suspended from the NFL, lost millions of dollars worth of endorsement deals, and filed for bankruptcy.

Ironically, Vick's last NFL game was against the Eagles on Dec. 31, 2006.

ZT PET NEWS POLL RESULTS: How would you react if Michael Vick was signed to your favorite football team?

46 percent: I'd be outraged, boycott games, sell my season tickets and publicly protest my former favorite team.

31 percent: I'm not a football fan, nor think he should be allowed to play professionally again.

12 percent: I wouldn't be happy, but would support my team and attend games, hoping Vick receives a large pay cut and publicly shows remorse for what he did.

7 percent: Who cares, his talent outweighs his bad moral compass! I would continue to support my team, especially if Vick increased their wins.

4 percent: I'm not a football fan but think it's OK he returns to the league.

Robin Wallace is the Zootoo Pet News editor and can be reached at rwallace@zootoo.com.

The Associated Press and ESPN.com contributed to this report.