IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys running back Tashard Choice said his teammates have no issue with him for getting Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick's autograph after a loss.
That doesn't keep them from picking on Choice about it.
While Choice talked to reporters Wednesday, tight end Martellus Bennett smiled when he held out a clean, balled-up pair of white socks in front of the running back and asked, "Can you sign this for me? It's for my little cousin."
Choice, who apologized Monday via Twitter to anyone who was offended, said his fellow running backs knew more than a week before the game that he planned to get Vick's autograph for his 2-year-old nephew. Choice played at Georgia Tech and knew Vick when the quarterback played for the Atlanta Falcons.
As Vick walked off the field Sunday night after the Eagles' 30-27 victory at Cowboys Stadium, Choice approached the quarterback with a white glove and a black marker. The brief meeting was caught by NBC cameras and became a topic of debate the next day.
"That's the first time I actually ever had somebody to go get an autograph, and it wasn't for me," Choice said. "Since it got caught on film, (people) made a big deal out of it."
Choice said all the attention has "messed up my doggone surprise for my little nephew for Christmas."
As a young quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, Jon Kitna got John Elway's autograph on a football after a game against the Hall of Famer's Denver Broncos.
"Guys do it all the time, guys are getting jerseys and memorabilia signed all the time," Kitna said. "He just happened to get caught on tape. ... It didn't have anything to do with football. Just move on."
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
