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Why Racing Michael Vick in the Parking Lot Could Become a Thing
March 22, 2018
Word to the wise: Don't try to race Michael Vick in a strip club parking lot.
While it's never happened in real life, it did occur in last week's episode of Atlanta, FX's hit show created by and starring Donald Glover. The former Atlanta Falcons legend made an unforgettable cameo at the end of episode three, "Money Bag Shawty."
"It was on time, man," Vick told Bleacher Report. "It was really genius. I had fun doing it. I had a chance to meet Donald Glover and the cast. I just seen how the whole [television] scene worked. It was pretty cool."
A crowd gathered outside Onyx, a popular Atlanta strip club, as Vick, playing himself, raced drunk people in the parking lot. Earn, played by Glover, unsuccessfully spent the entire show trying to stunt. Earn walked out of the strip club and heard that Vick had just raced six people in the last 10 minutes. In a Hail Mary attempt to stunt, he challenged Vick, who clocked a 4.33 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in 2001.
Despite a quick start, Earn loses. The episode ends with a disappointed Earn riding in the back of a limo as his girlfriend, Van, played by Zazie Beetz, consoles him, declaring, "It's Michael Vick."
It was a memorable cameo for a show that has also had guest appearances from Atlanta-based hip-hop group Migos and comedian Katt Williams. But the moment nearly didn't happen.
Vick, 37, initially didn't want to do it. His wife, Kijafa Vick, had set up everything. She has experience in production, including as the executive producer for VH1's Baller Wives and Vick's documentary, The Michael Vick Project. But he never imagined himself being on camera in a role outside of his gig as an NFL analyst with Fox Sports.
"Sometimes for people, whenever you're doing something new or going to different places and experiencing different things, if it's outside of your normal routine, you don't want to step out there," Vick said. "But that was one where I found out it was Donald Glover, and it was one of the hottest shows on TV. I'm like, 'It's Atlanta. I have to do it.' So I did it."
Vick only had two brief lines, but the mere presence of one of the greatest athletes in Atlanta's history appearing on the award-winning show was a sight to behold.
He says he has never raced anyone outside of a club or strip club. It was solely in the script. So the only real story we have of Vick racing anyone remains his 40-yard dash against LeSean McCoy in 2013, when a 24-year-old McCoy called a 32-year-old Vick an "old man" and lost.
Well, it's the only story we have for now.
"After seeing that, I've gotten a lot of requests to come out and race guys outside of the club," Vick said. "Whether it's a strip club or a regular club, I might make that my side hustle, man. Maybe two weekends out of the month, I'll go ahead and make me some money."