Michael Vick spent last season as a first-time head coach at Norfolk State with BET cameras following him around. The result was The Coach Vick Experience, an eight-part docu-series that gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at a Division 1 program trying to find its footing. The Spartans went 1-11. But Vick says the cameras weren’t the problem.
Speaking at MEAC Media Day, Vick told Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab that the filming never really felt intrusive. His reasoning? There’s always someone recording something at practice.
“We didn’t recognize the cameras. There are cameras everywhere at our practices. Whether it was BET filming or some random person who walked up and started filming, I didn’t know who was who sometimes,” Vick said.
But watching the show back was a different story. That’s where things got real for him.
What the Mirror Showed Him
Vick admitted there were moments in the series where he forgot he had a microphone on. Seeing those moments play back on screen forced him to think about how he presents himself as a leader.
“Sometimes I forgot the mic was on. If something was to happen, I would be more conscious of that. I would be conscious of the things that I say. I would be conscious of my poise and my approach, because it doesn’t call for that,” he said.
It also made him think about the NFL coaches he played for. Guys like Tony Dungy, Andy Reid, and Mike Tomlin never had to yell to get their point across. Vick noticed that.
“Some of the greatest coaches that I’ve had or been around — Tony Dungy, Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin — they don’t have to get rah-rah. They can coach you in a calm way. I learned a lot from that,” Vick said.
Would He Still Do It at 1-11?
When asked if he’d have agreed to the documentary knowing the season would end with just one win, Vick laughed. Then he answered honestly.
“If I knew we were going to go 1-11, I probably would’ve put it on hold. But that wasn’t the gist of it,” he said.
He was quick to clarify that the series wasn’t about him. Not really. The point was to put Norfolk State on a bigger stage, to get the players some national attention they wouldn’t normally get at an HBCU program.
“Part of the exposure was for them…for Norfolk State, for us to be on the map…I cared about our team….I wanted them to get exposure….It was fun, and we just have to take it one day at a time,” Vick said.
No word yet on whether BET will bring the show back for a second season. But the first season is still available on Paramount+, YouTube, and Amazon Prime if you want to see what Vick saw.
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