If you were looking for the one person who isn’t concerned about Michael Vick getting hurt this season, I think I’ve found him.
Rob Vito, CEO of Unequal Technologies, the company that has produced a custom-fit Kevlar vest for the Eagles quarterback to wear during games, thinks Vick will be just fine.
“I guarantee he will not get hurt,” Vito told Darren Rovell of ESPN.com.
Vick has an endorsement deal with Unequal Technologies, but he wasn’t wearing the company’s gear in the second preseason game against New England, when he suffered bruised ribs and was knocked out of the game on the sixth offensive play from scrimmage.
“What Michael is wearing was born on the battlefield and forged on the gridiron,” Vito said.
Vick, meanwhile, talked about the new protection yesterday and said it won’t slow him down.
“You can barely feel them,” he said. “The way we get them fitted, the type of material that they have nowadays can withstand a lot of impact. It’s just that the last one wasn’t protecting me in a certain area so we’re going to try to cover up all areas.”
Andy Reid, on the other hand, said the protection had little to do with the rib injury Vick sustained in the second preseason game against the Patriots.
“It’s a Kevlar vest. It’s the latest, greatest. It’s supposedly…the best,” Reid said. “That’s what I can tell you. They’re not quite as cumbersome as the other ones, will still protect him. He took a good shot. It wasn’t a matter of what he had on. He took a pretty good shot back there.”
Vick broke two ribs last November against the Cardinals. And he also suffered a rib injury in 2010 against the Redskins.
The Eagles quarterback said he’s feeling better and is on schedule to play Week 1 against the Browns.
Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
