Vick donates to firefighter's family, single moms

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ATLANTA (Dec. 1, 2006) -- As part of his fine for an obscene gesture made to fans, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is giving $5,000 to the family of a firefighter who recently died.

Another $5,000 will go to The Warrick Dunn Foundation, which helps single mothers become homeowners, according to a statement posted on the team's web site.

Atlanta firefighter Steven Solomon died Nov. 29 from injuries he suffered battling a Thanksgiving night fire.

"I gave this a lot of thought and realized that there are thousands of worthy charities that could benefit from these funds," Vick said in the statement. "But when I heard that Mr. Solomon died after fighting a fire on Thanksgiving while most of us were at home with our own families, it really touched me. My heart goes out to his family."

Vick said he wanted to help Falcons running back Warrick Dunn 's foundation, which assists single mothers and their children with down payments and home furnishings.

The donation to the Solomon family will be made through the Golden Shield Foundation, an organization that helps the families of law enforcement officers or firefighters who have been killed or incapacitated in the line of duty.

Vick's donation was mandated by the NFL, which also fined him another $10,000.

Vick made the obscene gesture with both hands as he walked off the Georgia Dome field. The Falcons' 31-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints prompted boos from fans. Vick has said the gesture came after he heard an especially disturbing insult from a male fan.
He Better Have Dontated.