Michael Vick has reached a deal with the BET network on an eight-part documentary series that will portray the Eagles QB from his childhood through his prison term and into the present.

“I just want people to really get to know me as an individual,” Vick told the Los Angeles Times. “What I want to do is change the perception of me. I am a human being. I’ve made some mistakes in the past, and I wish it had never happened. But it’s not about how you fall, but about how you pick yourself up.”

There’s no word on how much Vick is being paid for the series. But he is trying to pay down about $20 million owed to creditors when he filed for bankruptcy after being convicted of a federal dogfighting crime. During his bankruptcy court hearings, Vick’s lawyers indicated he would earn about $600,000 for a TV series.

PETA spokesman Dan Shannon said his group does not think Vick has yet atoned for or understood the serious nature of his crimes.

“People who abuse animals don’t deserve to be rewarded,” Shannon told the Times. “They shouldn’t be given multimillion-dollar contracts . . . or given the privilege of being a role model.”

[EDIT: Sounds like that PETA guy needs a nap]

The show’s producer, Brian Sher, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Vick has been very helpful during the project.

“I was blown away by his willingness to be honest about everything,” Sher told the paper.

“We met, and I was very intrigued and compelled by his story, and I’ve grown to like him as a person. I believed he was sincere. If I thought he was anything other than that, I wouldn’t have done it.”

Source: USA Today