Michael Vick and Nike again? Not true, says Nike
Nike is not signing a new endorsement deal with former spokesman Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles, spokesman KeJuan Wilkins said on Thursday.
Nike dumped Vick as an endorser and pulled his products from retail stores in 2007 after the ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback was charged with bankrolling and running a dogfighting ring.
One of Vick’s agents, Mike Principe, announced during the SBJ/SBD Relay Worldwide Sports Sponsorship Symposium here Wednesday that the newly-signed Eagles QB had signed a new deal with the Swoosh. But Nike’s Wilkins said that wasn’t so.
“Nike does not have a contractual relationship with Michael Vick. We have agreed to supply product to Michael Vick as we do a number of athletes who are not under contract with Nike,” the company said in a statement.
If the agent’s objective was to rehabilitate Vick’s image, the attempt backfired, says marketing consultant Ernest Lupianacci, a former creative director for Nike advertising.
“This agent put his Air Vick in his mouth,” Lupinacci says.
Vick’s personal agent, Joel Segal, told SportsBusiness Journal on Wednesday that the quarterback was “excited to be part of the Nike team again.”
Nike was the last sponsor to drop Vick as an endorser after he was indicted on dogfighting charges in 2007. The company pulled the release of Vick’s fifth signature Nike shoe, the Zoom Vick V, which would have retailed for $100.
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#1 by CandidCamera on October 1, 2009 - 1:15 pm
i heard that yesterday and couldn;t believe it. no way nike would take him back