Once the biggest star in the nation’s biggest sport, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was “indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on charges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation so grisly the losers either died in the pit or sometimes were electrocuted, drowned, hanged or shot.”
Facing up to six years in prison, Vick has undergone the biggest fall from grace in sports since Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault in 2003.
As recently as 2004, Vick was on the cover of Madden, was featured in his own Nike commercial called “The Michael Vick Experience”, and was arguably the biggest individual draw in the NFL. His sometimes breathtaking play, for example this play against the Vikings, made him a fixture on highlight shows and the NFL national television schedule. In 2005 alone, the Falcons made three home appearances on Monday Night Football, and were also featured on Thanksgiving Day, mainly because of Vick.
However, years of underachieving led to rampant criticism of his play by the mainstream media. He was accused of being all flash and no substance, lacking the passing skills necessary to be a legitimate quarterback in the NFL. Debate about his on field misdeeds grew louder with the passing seasons, manifesting into a level of hostility second only to that of Alex Rodriguez in New York.
In addition to increased scrutiny of his on field shortcomings, Vick’s off the field transgressions also became a topic of conversation. Vick was sued in 2005 by a woman who accused him of giving her herpes — leading to the revelation of the now infamous pseudonym “Ron Mexico”. Last November, Vick gave the middle finger to some fans following a loss to New Orleans. That was followed by a bizarre situation in January where Vick “surrendered a water bottle to security at Miami International Airport that smelled like marijuana and contained a substance in a hidden compartment“. While no charges were brought from that situation, the combination of bad PR events had Vick already on the path of a pariah by February of this year.
This is all before the dog fighting allegations, the severity of which has significantly exacerbated Vick’s image problems. While there is no need to rehash the much discussed allegations, the fact that Vick is now connected to an industry that is best known for its severe mistreatment of animals may result in the final death knell for his career — at least from a marketing standpoint. While other athletes faced with legal controversies have bounced back, including Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Vick starts from a significant disadvantage due to his lack of on-field success. Lewis and the Ravens winning the Super Bowl and Bryant and the Lakers going to the NBA Finals, both occurrences happening within a year of each player’s respective legal issues, went a long way in helping the players’ images.
Barring an unlikely Superbowl run for the Atlanta Falcons or an exceptional MVP year, it is highly unlikely that Vick’s image will undergo any renaissance, especially in an atmosphere where athletes with legal troubles are demonized to almost folk villain status. As the situation stands tonight, Michael Vick is no longer marketable — incredible to consider when one remembers just how much of a star he was on his way to becoming only three years ago.
