It has now been four years since the shocking news of Michael Vick’s dog-fighting ring was released.
Along with a 21-month prison sentence, Vick lost all of his endorsement deals, including his then six-year partnership with Nike.
Apparently Nike feels that Vick’s past is forgotten enough by the public (or at least their targeted consumers) to bring him back as its face of Nike football apparel.
Following a 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year campaign in limited duty as Donovan McNabb’s backup, Vick was among the league’s best quarterbacks for the first time in his career last year. A terrific 2010 season did more than just put him back on the map as a top-level player, it also seemingly erased any negative history with the large American football fan base.
Vick’s ability to stay out of trouble, both in the pocket and off the field, has allowed him to regain what was seemingly gone forever; his reputation as a football player, and a football player alone.
It’s amazing to me how one great season has so quickly transformed Vick’s label as a dog-murdering former NFL superstar to an elite and marketable athlete once again.
He was even a semifinalist in this year’s Madden 12 cover athlete. If Vick had won the internet fan vote (Cleveland’s Peyton Hills won), he would have been the video game franchise’s first ever repeat player.
While Nike (and Electronic Arts) feel four years is enough to forget, I don’t.
I would have been shocked to see Vick as the poster child for anything so soon, thus Nike has my jaw hitting the floor.
Vick will never reach the Nike status of Jordan’s Jumpman apparel, but it does seem as if the famed shoe company is looking to make him the football equivalent.
It’s often noted that Americans love to build celebrities up only to knock them back down, and I think Nike doesn’t quite realize the fine line that Vick is currently on.
One slip of the tongue regarding any topic with the media, or even a single photo shot of Vick with a dog in the background could bring back all of those bad memories we made when hearing of his horrendous acts.
Vick has relished his second chance to become another high-profile athlete to overcome his bad choices, and I applaud him for that, but I still don’t feel the need to praise him by forgetting just yet.
As an NFL enthusiast, I will always enjoy watching Vick play. He is the most entertaining football I’ve ever seen not named Barry Sanders. But my ability to separate an athlete’s personal life from his professional life is really tested. It wouldn’t matter if Vick was a coal miner, American Idol contestant or even a veterinarian.
As a lover of animals myself, Vick’s sudden resurrection comes a bit premature. Vick may no longer have a “debt to society,” but he will forever have a debt to human beings and their most loyal animal friends. Four years has not yet healed my wounds and I doubt that will change, regardless of Vick’s future achievements.
