Big things need big sacrifices, and no one knows it better than Michael Vick. After almost losing his football career to dogfight allegations and police custody, to shining bright with the Eagles, he has come a long way. However, starting his second innings as a coach demanded more sacrifices than Vick thought.

Michael Vick has a happening life in Florida, but when he got the job offer from Norfolk State, a top-25 HBCU school, he had to make a choice between his family and career. Because his kids were not ready to move, the result was that Vick had to make a tough call, and that broke him. Now, talking about his real-life struggles with switching places and handling family responsibilities, he gets real on “The Coach Vick Experience” show on BET.

“I probably cried to my mom a couple times,” Vick said.

Vick grew up in Newport News, Virginia, in the Ridley Circle Homes, where crimes and hardship were common. But that’s when sports became his way out of that atmosphere. His parents shaped his skills, especially his dad, who taught him football skills as a child. That helped him to become a better player at Warwick High School in Newport News, which ultimately made him go to Virginia Tech.

So, spending your entire childhood in one place and leaving it later on was a big decision for him. But it was more about his family rather than Vick himself.

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“Virginia is not my happy place, but it wasn’t just my decision not to go; it was a family decision,” Kijafa Frink Vick said. “We have a very comfortable home here in Florida. Little Mike’s super happy there, and London is a senior in high school. I felt like it wouldn’t be cool to take her out of school her senior year—and he understood it, too. But I support him. If that means flying to see him every week, so be it.”

Michael Vick and his wife, Kijata Frink Vick, bought their home together in Florida, where they live with his three kids, Jada Vick, London Vick, and Michael Vick Jr. Even he could stay close to his parents, Brenda Vick and Michael Boddie. But this job forced him to relocate 1000 miles away from his kids and parents.

The transition was not that easy, but for Vick to come out from his dark past and actually make an impact on the field was the only way to show his real side to all who judged him. That became his ultimate sacrifice, even though the first year with a 1-11 record was a big mess, but he does have a chance to turn around.

With his tough journey of leaving behind his family, he also had a tough transition to coaching.

Michael Vick doubles down on his source of learning

Michael Vick’s football career took a major hit after 18 months in federal prison, after which he returned to the NFL in 2009. That was a low point in time in his career when head coach Andy Reid signed him as a backup to Donovan McNabb. Looking back, Vick reflects on the time and how that helped him grow personally and professionally.

Later on, he became the starter, helping the Eagles to go 10-6 while earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors. He even got Comeback Player of the Year honor in 2010. All thanks to Reid, who gave him the chance to prove himself.

“I still was young,” Vick said. “Still had so much to learn. I appreciated it the second time around because I ended up with Andy Reid. I ended up with a great group of teammates.”

However, even Michael Vick worked hard to shine under Reid’s system. He watched the Eagles’ offense and also watched the coaching and their structure.

“God blessed me and put me in that man’s presence,” Vick said in reference to Reid. “I didn’t take that for granted, and what it taught me … [was] I can be a coach one day, even though that was something I never thought I would be doing.”

Now, Vick is using the same learnings to shape young minds at Norfolk State. Let’s see if the next season turns in his favor or not!