Kijafa Frink has stood by her man through thick and thin and she hopes that the downfall of Michael Vick could serve as a lesson for everyone.
“That they see (his) mistakes,” she told NBCPhiladelphia the morning after The Michael Vick Project premiered.
The docu-series -- Frink doesn’t really see it as a reality show because of its dramatic nature (that means no fist-pumping) -- airs Tuesday nights on BET.
“The show is pretty serious,” said Vick’s co-star on the show. “It’s not a laughing show.”
No laughs because Vick spent 18 months in prison away from his family and gave up lucrative multi-million dollar contracts after he pleaded guilty to running a dogfighting ring.
The show filmed sporadically over three months as Vick worked to repair his image and his career in the NFL. The show is basically summed up in its tagline, “A Life in Progress”
In the first episode viewers relived Vick’s rise to fame from Newport News, Va. to his playing days at Virginia Tech to becoming the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft to his Titanic-collapse after he was busted for dogfighting.
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Pretty intense stuff -- is that how every episode of this reality will be?
Pretty much. The show is serious at its core as Vick goes through prison and realizes the terror of his actions, Frink said. But, there are some lighter moments like a birthday party for his daughter.
Frink, though, didn’t want to give away too many secrets about the show.
They want people to watch and hopefully get to see another side of the man still seen as a dog-killing monster by some people.
Part of that hopeful message is that people will see the Eagles QB as a person again. Just like a regular couple Vick and Frink like to relax with some TV watching -- including their own show.
“I’m a reality junkie,” she said.
She likes shows like the Real Housewives of Atlanta and For the Love of Ray J while he likes The Wire and watching NFL coverage. She even watches football with her man, she said.
The couple watched their show Tuesday night. They didn’t do anything big, opting instead to sit down with some family and a few friends at their home in Philadelphia, Frink said.
We pressed Frink about Vick’s future and if Philly would be a part of that future. Kijafa claimed she had no idea if the Vick Project would be renewed for a second season or if Vick would be renewed for a second season in Eagles green.
“We would love to stay in Philly,” she said despite reports that Vick wants to play somewhere he could start.
They just don’t know if that would happen, said Frink, a native Philadelphian.
“He feels more a part of the (Philadelphia) community -- even more than he was in Atlanta,” Frink said.
“It took a strong team and a strong city like Philly” to give Vick a second chance at the NFL, she added.
