Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray apologized this week after he posed for a photo with his dog while wearing a throwback Virginia Tech Michael Vick jersey.
In response to the backlash, Murray has since deleted the Instagram post in question, but also wanted to clarify that he does not stand for animal abuse.
“Yeah, in no way, shape, and form, do I condone animal cruelty or dog, you know, dog fighting whatever it is,” the 28-year-old explained. He said the reason he had been wearing the Michael Vick jersey was because he was “a player that I admired very much growing up.”
However, Murray noted that his two dogs, Trunks and Swoosh, both get “treated like kings.”
“So it’s not like, you know, in no way, shape, and form, am I like, condoning that,” he continued. “But yes, I saw how it affected people, and you know, decided to take it out.”
Murray made the comments during a press conference at the Cardinals training center on Wednesday, in footage shared by Sports Illustrated.
Murray just adopted his second pit bull terrier, Trunks, this past spring. At the time, he shared a gallery of photos on Instagram, writing: “Newest member, my son Trunks.” Suffice to say, it seems clear that he loves his furry companions.
Vick was suspended from the NFL in 2007 after a warrant turned up evidence of illegal dog fighting activities at a property he owned in rural southeastern Virginia. The star quarterback and three other men were subsequently indicted on federal felony charges related to operating an unlawful interstate dog fighting ring which had been given the name “Bad Newz Kennels.”
After submitting a guilty plea, Vick ended up serving 20 months of a three-year prison sentence. Following his release from prison, the NFL ended up reinstating Vick in 2009 and he went to to play for the Philadelphia Eagles for five seasons, then one season each with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, in an effort to truly clear his name and atone for his mistakes, in 2011 Vick lobbied before congress in support of the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which sought to make it easier to prosecute those who finance, arrange the gambling, and provide locations for dog fights.
“I deeply regret my previous involvement in dogfighting, I’m sorry for what I did to the animals,” Vick said during a news conference on Capitol Hill. “During my time in prison, I told myself I wanted to be part of the solution, not the problem.”
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