Virginia Tech catching heat for Michael Vick Hall of Fame induction

Michael Vick will be inducted to the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame this September, but many don’t want it to happen based on his dog fighting past.

He was maybe the greatest football player to ever suit up for the Virginia Tech Hokies. In two seasons as quarterback, Michael Vick led the program to their only national championship game appearance while finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1999 before becoming the first overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2001.

This September, the school will honor Vick — who already has his number retired — by being inducted into the school’s athletics hall of fame. He will be one of five former Hokies who will be inducted the day before the team’s game vs. Old Dominion, where Vick and others will be honored at halftime.

While some are loving the idea of Vick getting love, others don’t want him anywhere close to the HOF, based on the dog fighting incident that landed him in federal prison for a time. According to The Roanoke Times, almost 100,000 people have signed online petitions urging the school to rethink the honor:

"The change.org petition that has gained the most traction was submitted by a woman named Jennifer Breeden and addressed to Sands. It had received nearly 60,000 signatures as of Tuesday."

"“By inducting Michael Vick, a non-graduate, into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, the University has decided to honor a man for his athletic ability rather than honor a person for being a decent and honorable human being,” the petition’s conclusion begins."

The school said it took into consideration the 19-month sentence that Michael Vick served for the crimes as well as the offenses themselves, saying they don’t condone those actions while honoring him for his on-field accomplishments while at the school.

Next: 30 bucket list items for college football fans

Even a decade after the entire incident took place, Vick is still proving himself to be a lightning rod for those in the animal rights community who don’t think he was punished enough for those actions. Vick has been apologetic since his release and admitted his wrong doing unlike some other athletes, so maybe he does deserve a chance to be honored for work that was done years before.