Vick Says It’s Time to Join the NFL

Marcus Vick apologized to Virginia Tech Saturday in Blacksburg, Va., and said his next stop would be the NFL.

Not that he had many options as far as football was concerned after being tossed off the Virginia Tech team a day earlier.

The junior quarterback dazzled on the field but carried a long list of transgressions. His latest display -- stomping on the leg of a fallen opponent during the Gator Bowl -- prompted an outpouring of letters to the university and a plea from his mother that her son not be portrayed as a “monster.”

Vick, the brother of Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick, had said before Monday’s bowl victory over Louisville that he needed to return to Virginia Tech for another year of development. Now he plans to make himself available for the NFL draft rather than finish his college career elsewhere.

“I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to proving my athletic ability at the professional level,” he said in a statement released through his lawyers. “I believe I am ready for this challenge and the next chapter of my life.”

During the Gator Bowl, Vick was shown on tape stomping on the left calf of Louisville All-American defensive end Elvis Dumervil after a tackle. Vick claimed it was an accident, but school officials said Saturday they thought it looked intentional.

“We have received hundreds of letters from fans and alumni who are disturbed by what they saw,” university President Charles Steger said at a Saturday news conference.

Vick, after contemplating his conduct, said: “I deeply regret that I allowed my competitive emotions to take control” in the Gator Bowl. “To all of the Virginia Tech community, I sincerely apologize,” he said.

Vick said he appreciated the trust Coach Frank Beamer had placed in him during his stay at Virginia Tech. The coach visited the quarterback and his mother to tell him he was off the team.

“It wasn’t any fun,” Beamer said. “It was difficult. I hate it when there’s disappointment. You wish you maybe could have done something more, better.”

Vick was suspended from school in 2004 because of several legal problems, and came under intense scrutiny again because of replays of his actions against Dumervil. Vick claimed it was accidental but hurt his cause by claiming to have apologized to Dumervil, the NCAA sacks leader. Dumervil said he received no such apology.

In 24 games, the 6-foot, 212-pound Vick passed for 2,868 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also rushed 184 times for 492 yards and six touchdowns.