THE MICHAEL VICK PROJECT ON BET!

No matter how many times he says he's sorry, or how much work he does for animals, Michael Vick knows there are those who won't believe a word of it.
"That's another thing that really hurts," the disgraced quarterback told The News. "I can't change people's perspective or how they feel about me. But I hate to hear people say they think I'm doing this just to salvage my career."

Vick spent 18 months in prison for running a dog fighting ring that was exposed in 2007 when a cousin got busted for pot and gave up Vick's illegal activities.

Getting caught cost Vick everything: his personal fortune, part of his career, time with his family and his reputation.

"There's 18 months I couldn't get back with my kids. When I die and I'm dead and gone, there's 18 months of my life gone," he said.

He got part of his career back this season when he was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. The next step in his rehabilitation continues tomorrow night at 10 on BET with the launch of "The Michael Vick Project," a 10-episode docu-series on the NFL star's life.

The first episode starts with Vick going back to the scene of the dogfights and the now empty house where, he admits, he was living a double life.

"I wanted to do that," he said. "I felt so bad about what happened. As I thought about the acts that I committed, and the wrongdoing during my career, I thought, 'Why didn't I give the animals a fair chance?' I wanted to do it to get it off my chest."

Executive producer James DuBose said he didn't agree to do the show until he talked with Vick face to face.

"I wanted to sit down with Mike, first and foremost, to make sure he was remorseful and owning up to his mistake," DuBose said. "This was clearly a man who understood the magnitude of the mistake he made. He said to me, 'James, all I want to do is tell the truth.'"

Both say that's what they ended up doing with the show.

Vick is the first to admit his troubles were self-inflicted. He also said that had he not been stopped three years ago, he'd still be in the dogfighting business.

"I give all praises to God - without that day, my life would have been in shambles, I would having been living a lie," Vick said. "That day happened, and it happened for a reason."

Since getting out of jail, Vick has become an advocate against animal cruelty.

"We also go back into the prison I started in, just to give the kids some insight ... to kind of scare them straight if they got off on the wrong track," he said. "I want to give them a sense of what the judicial system will do to you if you don't abide by the law."

For Vick, one of the reasons to do the show was to try to put the issue behind him. As a result, the show won't have a second season.

"I think this closes it out for me. Let it be serious. Let it be real, so I don't have to answer the question anymore. I know people who don't like me won't watch it," he said.

But while there won't be a second season, Vick adds, "I can't say I don't like being on TV."