For Michael Vick fans in Lynchburg, the waiting was the hardest part.
One day after the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback scored his first touchdowns since his prison sentence for dogfighting, he appeared at the restaurant 7 in Wyndhurst, which is owned by two of Vick’s friends in Lynchburg, including former Virginia Tech teammate Andre Kendrick.
More than 200 people packed the restaurant for hours waiting for a chance to meet Vick and get his autograph. Vick arrived at the restaurant after 7 p.m., walked through the cheering crowd and entered a private section, where he later greeted some fans. Around 9:30 p.m. he came downstairs to sign shirts.
The long wait made some fans angry and filled the restaurant with shouts of “We want Vick! We want Vick!”
The restaurant sold advance tickets for $20. At 5 p.m. more than 50 people were in line and slowly entered the restaurant.
After people with advance tickets were inside, the restaurant let people buy tickets at the door for $40.
Inside, the restaurant sold T-shirts for $25 that Vick later signed.
Proceeds from Monday’s event benefited Hill City Youth Football and Cheerleading Association. Before arriving at the restaurant, Vick spoke to children at the Jubilee Center in Lynchburg, said J.R. Revely, brother of one of 7’s owners.
Despite the lines, many fans at 7 said they were ready to forget about Vick’s involvement in dogfighting and give him a second chance on the football field.
Ben Taylor said the visit to Lynchburg is part of Vick’s “redemption tour.”
“If Mike had the biggest contract in the NFL like he did a couple of years ago, I don’t think he’d be here,” said Taylor, who attended the event with his 9-year-old son Joey.
On Sunday, Taylor spent about $50 to watch Vick’s current team, the Philadelphia Eagles, play his former team, the Atlanta Falcons, at the Georgia Dome. They watched Vick run a touchdown into the end zone and pass another one in.
“I wouldn’t want to do what (Vick) has done,” Joey Taylor said, “but I do like him and he is a good player.”
Vick, a native of Newport News, played for Virginia Tech for two years before joining the Falcons. He rejoined the NFL with the Eagles this season, after serving 20 months of a 23-month prison sentence.
“When I see him, I don’t see Michael Vick who just got out of prison,” said Wanda Beverly. “I see him as an athlete who was so awesome that the scouts pre-empted his four years of college.”
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