By Ed Stannard, Register Metro Editor
estannard@nhregister.com

NEW HAVEN — Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Michael Vick told Hillhouse High School students this morning that he would hold them accountable to be kind to animals and to attain their goals.

Vick, who was imprisoned for 18 months for running a dogfighting ring in Virginia, has been traveling with Wayne Pacelle, a New Haven native and president of the Humane Society of the United States, to talk about his experiences and urge students not to get involved in animal cruelty.



“I didn’t really care what people felt about animals,” Vick told an audience full of students excited to see the star. “I didn’t care about the welfare of animals.”

Vick, whose Eagles beat the New York Giants in Philadelphia on Sunday, pointed out that animals have no choice when they’re put in the ring. If you could ask a dog if it wants to fight, “Do you think he’ll say yeah?” Vick asked.

Vick said he saw good coming out of his negative experience. “I think I’m being used by God, because all the laws have changed since my incident,” he said.

But while he has served his legal obligation and is working “to turn it into something positive,” as Pacelle said, he is still paying a price.

“Nowadays, every day my daughters ask me if we can get a dog. ... I can’t get a dog for my kids,” said Vick, who is barred from owning animals.

Superintendent of Schools Reginald Mayo said of Vick's comeback story: "I think it’s a vary valuable lesson for both adults and young people. You can make a mistake in life but you can put it back together. The last couple of weeks he’s been outstanding on the football field, but what I saw today was an outstanding person."

Hillhouse quarterback Je’Vaughn Moore got to meet Vick on the stage. Continued...

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"It was blessing, truly a blessing," Moore said. "He was my idol..."

“I think it’s a good movement on his part and a good experience for everybody on the football team,” said sophomore defensive end Jordan Tucker. “I was surprised that he did it. ... He didn’t seem like he was that sorry, but now it looks like he’s serious.”

At his next stop, Wilbur Cross High School, Vick was made an honorary Governor, after the school’s nickname. Emajae Ricketts gave him a red Cross cap to go with his blue jersey from archrival Hillhouse.

“Nerve-wracking,” Ricketts said of meeting Vick. “It calmed my nerves with the telling of his story and what he went through.”

At Cross, Vick told more about his introduction to dog-fighting, starting in his preteen years and then getting his own dogs at 20. “All I want to do is help more dogs than I’ve hurt,” he said.

At a press conference after their appearance at Wilbur Cross, Pacelle and Vick talked about how the football star was able to turn his life around.

“Going to federal prison, spending 18 months away from my family, which was without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve had to endure … I think in a sense made me a stronger person,” Vick said.

Pacelle, who grew up in the Beaver Hills neighborhood, talked about how young people can become desensitized to violence, whether it be dog-fighting, as in Vick’s case, or gun-wielding gang members.

Call Ed Stannard at 203-789-5743.

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