.jpg)
*The Atlanta Falcons has its first black coach in team history with Wednesday's promotion of assistant coach Emmitt Thomas, but with one step forward comes what many see as two steps back, thanks to team owner Arthur Blank and his comments during ESPN's "Monday Night Football."
Blank was asked if he'd consider bringing Vick back to the squad following his 23-month prison sentence for dog fighting.
Stating he would never say never, Blank told "MNF" co-host Tony Kornheiser: "There's a lot of roadblocks to Michael coming back and even playing in the National Football League, Tony. Let's assume he's out for three seasons, 07, 08 and 09. If he doesn't watch himself and eats a lot of fried chicken and fries in prison, come out 215 pounds he's not going to be the same athlete he was."
The fried chicken reference didn't go over well, to say the least. Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson has called on Blank to apologize for the comment, stating in a recent blog: "Blank's remarks continues a recent and deeply troubling pattern in which leading media and public figures from Don Imus to Dog the Bounty Hunter have routinely demeaned African-Americans with wise cracks, slips, gaffes and off-color jokes."
The Falcons' PR office issued a statement Wednesday that said Blank's use of "fried chicken" was not meant to be racist, and he was only trying to state that Vick should watch his weight in prison to facilitate a more speedy return to the gridiron.
Arthur Blank's "Fried Chicken" Comment on "Monday Night Football"
Meanwhile, with three games to go in the regular season, former Falcons coach Bobby Petrino quit his post to become the coach at Arkansas. One day after coaching the team on Monday Night Football, he was being introduced as the new Razorback coach at a press conference. The move didn't sit well with many Falcons players, who saw his exit as a betrayal.
"He obviously had ulterior motives," said Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall in an interview with ESPN. "He came to the Atlanta Falcons, this great franchise, as a stepping stool to get where he wanted to be, and that's a better college job."
Petrino's replacement, 64-year-old Emmitt Thomas, was an assistant with the Falcons since 2002 and has no previous experience as a head coach; but he has 28 years in coaching. Thomas has worked under head coaches Dan Reeves, Jim Mora and Petrino in Atlanta.DeAngelo Hall on Bobby Petrino's Exit