On December 15, 2000, Michael Vick told reporters he was returning to Virginia Tech next season. Less than a month later, he stood in a Newport News gym and said goodbye. Vick says he never wanted to make that second speech so soon, but he gave in to peer pressure.

Speaking to Lawrencia Moten on Beyond Ballin’w/Lala, the legendary Atlanta Falcons quarterback looked back on his decision to enter the NFL after just two years at Virginia Tech. A decision he made when he was only 20, becoming one of the youngest players ever drafted in the league’s history.

“I didn’t know I was ready to take that step,” Vick told Moten, as she asked how he knew he was ready. “Things happen so fast, and I was like, ‘Man, I feel peer-pressured to go to the NFL.’ Like multiple people saying, ‘How could you walk away from millions of dollars?’ So that right there was the deciding factor.”

Vick had played only two seasons of professional football at Virginia Tech. He wanted one more year to learn defenses and the quarterback position. Yet despite the pressure from everyone around him, he came very close to staying. He waited until the final hour, and a phone call from his college head coach Frank Beamer settled it. 

“But deep down in my heart, I waited till the 11th round to make my decision,” Vick confessed. “I didn’t make my decision. Coach Beamer made the decision for me… I had one hour left; Coach Beamer called me and said to me, ‘Michael, you gotta go, you gotta go. I am sorry. I know where your heart is. I know you wanna be back.’”

The timeline backs him up. On December 15, 2000, Vick told reporters he would return to Blacksburg to keep growing as a player and a person. He had pledged twice to come back, even after weighing a potential career-ending injury and a drop in his draft stock. He made his final call only days before the January 11 announcement. 

His own numbers back then show why he wanted more time. Due to an ankle injury, he was limited to 18 games at Virginia Tech. He averaged 18.5 pass attempts and threw more than 20 only five times in two seasons. 

“It was still a little premature, I think,” Vick admitted. 

Interestingly, Houston’s General Manager believed the 19-year-old quarterback needed one more college season. His coach Beamer argued the same case. He set up a call with NFL executives and Donovan McNabb, and pitched a Heisman run, a title chase, and a bigger payday as the salary cap grew. Vick’s agent, Steinberg, reportedly guaranteed $20 million for his rookie year. 

The jump paid off. Atlanta moved from No. 5 to No. 1 for Vick the day before the draft after San Diego balked at a $15 million signing bonus request. Vick signed a six-year, $62 million deal. He made four Pro Bowls in 13 seasons, first at the age of 22. He led the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game after the 2004 season and finished with an NFL record 6,109 rushing yards by a quarterback. Premature, yes. Wrong, no. 

Now Vick sits on the other side of the table. He is in his second season as head coach at Norfolk State, after a 1-11 debut year. He left college early under pressure, and he knows what it costs to answer that pressure before you feel ready.