Vick donates to firefighter's family, Warrick Dunn Foundation

ATLANTA - As part of his fine for an obscene gesture made to fans after last weekend's game, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is giving half of a $10,000 donation to the family of a firefighter who was killed fighting a fire.

The other $5,000 will be given to The Warrick Dunn Foundation, which helps single mothers become homeowners, according to a statement posted on the team's Web site Thursday.

Atlanta firefighter Steven Solomon, 33, died Wednesday 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 also admires the work of Falcons running back Warrick Dunn and wanted to support the families Dunn helps. Dunn's foundation helps single mothers and their children with first-time homeownership by giving them 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.

Solomon will be remembered in a wake service Sunday at Snow's Memorial Chapel in Macon. His funeral is planned for 1 p.m. Monday at the Macon Coliseum, with burial at Glen Haven Memorial Gardens.

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 Sunday. 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 as he was heading for the locker room.