Michael Vick won’t be on “Oprah” after all.
The troubled NFL quarterback called time out on his first interview ever with the talk show queen.
The sudden cancellation was not explained.
“Michael Vick was scheduled to be a guest on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ for an episode airing next Thursday, Feb. 24,” said a spokesperson for Harpo Productions. “Mr. Vick’s representatives called [Tuesday] night to cancel his appearance for personal reasons.”
Vick, who pleaded guilty to federal charges after being implicated in an illegal dog fighting ring in 2007, was expected to talk about his 23-month stint in prison and home confinement, work with the Humane Society and return to the NFL in 2009.
Friendly wagering might’ve been the reason for Vick’s last minute cancellation.
Last month, Winfrey and Piers Morgan bet each other 200 pounds (about $300) — on-air — over who would be the one to land the Vick interview first.
Then, last week, Winfrey tweeted that she was withdrawing from the bet. It came out later that Vick could not appear to be involved in any type of gambling — no matter how innocent — and he made dropping the bet a prerequisite for accepting the Oprah invitation.
Although Vick declined to elaborate on why he pulled out of the interview, he said in a statement to Philadelphia Sports Daily, that “I admire and respect Oprah and hope to be able to participate in an interview in the future.”