Nike officially severed its ties to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick last Friday after the football star filed a guilty plea, admitting his complicity in an interstate dog fighting conspiracy.
The company’s statement said: “Nike has terminated our contract with Michael Vick following [Friday’s] release of details about his plea. As we have said in previous statements, we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane, abhorrent and unacceptable.”
Vick apologized for his participation in dogfighting after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court yesterday.
The marketing ramifications of the Vick case is the subject of Promo’s September cover story, which will be online at the magazine’s Web site on Sept. 1.
Nike had already suspended its contract with the athlete last month and halted production of a new signature shoe it was preparing to release after news of Vick’s federal indictment on dog fighting charges. At the same time, Reebok suspended sales of Vick’s jersey and Upper Deck pulled his football cards and memorabilia from its site.
The value of Vick’s sponsorship deals was an estimated at $7 million annually, the lion’s share of which was thought to be from Nike.
“I made a mistake of using bad judgment and making bad decisions,” Vick said at a news conference following his court appearance. “Those things just can’t happen. Dogfighting is a terrible thing, and I do reject it. He also apologized to his coach, teammates and National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell for not being “honest and forthright.”
Goodell issued Vick an indefinite suspension from the league on Friday. Vick’s sentencing hearing is scheduled on Dec. 10 when he could receive one to five years in prison.
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