Steelers' Fans & Players React To Vick Signing
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Michael Vick was on the practice field this morning after signing a 1-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ever since the news broke Tuesday, fans have been sounding off in favor of and against the move.
At 93.7 The Fan this morning, callers sounded off.
"I'd rather have him play for us than against us. We know what happened the last time he played against us," one woman said.
Vick's perceived public reputation seems to be more about him being a convicted dogfighter who served prison time, than his 12 seasons in the NFL.
"Steelers fans are up in arms right now because Vick hasn't done anything for us and because we thought that the Steelers were somehow morally superior to other teams," one man said.
About a half dozen demonstrators showed up for a social media-organized protest at Steelers headquarters.
"I am just really upset Pittsburgh is supporting this guy. It really goes against what Pittsburgh stands for ," said Ellie Gordon, of Squirrel Hill.
In the locker room at the South Side facility before practice today, players seemed to focus more on what Vick can bring to the team as Ben Roethlisberger's backup.
"He's a good player and we want the best players. Obviously, he has a checkered past but we like to think that he's grown from them from that," Cam Heyward said.
"He's a veteran. He's played the game for a while, so you if something were to happen, I think we're in a better position to go to him than were previously with guys going down," James Harrison said.
As for the social media firestorm that ignited after the announcement and an online petition to keep Vick from playing, players say they stick to their own accounts.
"I'm on Instagram, I'm on Twitter," William Gay said. "I see my posts that I put up pertaining to me."
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
