Michael Vick and Jamie Foxx exchange legendary jerseys

Sign-Up for a free subscription to The Black Wall Street Times‘ daily newsletter, Black Editors’ Edition (BEE) – our curated news selections & opinions by us for you.

Culture titans Michael Vick and Jamie Foxx recently got together and captured the moment with a legendary homage to one another.

In exchanging quarterback jerseys, both Black men trade a storied history that defies the stereotypes, bucks convention, and scores in spite of all naysayers.

Michael Vick changed the NFL, Madden, and culture

Michael Vick, a name synonymous with Atlanta, electrifying athleticism and unparalleled quarterback skills, left an indelible mark on the NFL during his career.

From his rookie season in 2001 to his final appearance in 2015, he electrified every field he touched and glued eyes to the TV screen for over a decade of Sundays.

Passing Stats:

• Vick completed 1,807 of 3,217 pass attempts over his career, boasting a career completion percentage of 56.2%.
• He threw for a total of 22,464 yards, with his highest single-season passing yardage coming in 2011 when he recorded 3,303 yards as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Vick threw 133 touchdowns throughout his playing career.

Rushing Stats:

• Vick’s true brilliance shone in his rushing abilities. He amassed an astonishing 6,109 rushing yards, a record for quarterbacks at the time.
• His single-season rushing peak occurred in 2006, with 1,039 rushing yards as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, earning him a Pro Bowl selection and NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors.
• Vick’s rushing prowess is exemplified by his 36 career rushing touchdowns, demonstrating his unique dual-threat capabilities.

Career Highlights:

• Vick earned four Pro Bowl selections during his career (2002, 2004, 2005, 2010) and was named the Pro Bowl MVP in 2005.
• His ability to change the game with his legs led to his selection as the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
• Vick’s unforgettable 2002 season with the Falcons, where he became the first quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season, remains a testament to his exceptional talent.
• Vick’s stint with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 marked a resurgence in his career, earning him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.

While Michael Vick’s career stats reflect his prowess as a dynamic playmaker, his legacy extends beyond the numbers. Cornrow Vick was a whole problem.

Michael Vick and Jamie Foxx did it their own way

He challenged conventional notions of what a quarterback could do and paved the way for a new generation of mobile quarterbacks. His immediate impact on the game was and remains undeniable, making him one of the most iconic figures in NFL history.

Michael Vick’s career will forever be remembered for its breathtaking moments and the enduring influence he left on the NFL.

Jamie Foxx was a quarterback in high school

Discussing his natural QB prowess on film, Foxx once told Yahoo!: “I didn’t lean on my acting skills; I leaned on my quarterback skills — I was a quarterback in high school, passed for over 1,000 yards. What I told him was, ‘I may not know all of the intricacies of what you’re talking about with the acting. But when it comes to the football, I know exactly what that is.’ So as opposed to auditioning and reading, I made a VHS tape of me as the character, Willie Beaman. I turned that into him, and he dug it. He turned it into Warner Bros., and we started our journey.”

Released in 1999, Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday” is a sports drama film offering a unfiltered and gritty look into the world of professional football.

Among the stellar ensemble cast, Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of Willie Beamen stands out as one of many career-defining performances that showcases his incredible talent and versatility as a consummate performer.

Willie Beamen is a young and inexperienced quarterback thrust into the spotlight when the Miami Sharks’ star quarterback is injured.

What follows is a two-headed rollercoaster ride of emotions as Foxx and Beaman navigate the intense pressure, on-and-off screen fights for respect, and personal struggles that come with both being a professional athlete and movie star.

Black quarterbacks continue to #šhïñëTHR?thëŠHÄD?

Foxx organically captures the essence of this character flawlessly, bringing depth and authenticity to the role, like so many before and after.

Once assumed to be mentally inferior than their White counterparts, Caucasian football gatekeepers locked Black men out of the quarterback position for decades.

Black men like Michael Vick and Jamie Foxx, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Cam Newton, Steve McNair, Randall Cunningham, Doug Williams, and so many others have long disproved an inherently racist theory propagated by those whom have always recognized and resented Black excellence.