It looked like Michael Vick had made another huge stride since his fall from grace with the announcement yesterday that Nike had negotiated an endorsement deal with the newly reinstated player. Vick signed on as backup Philadelphia Eagles QB on August 13, 2009, and it appeared that Nike was sending a clear signal that the mega-brand believed the athlete wouldn’t be a backup QB for long.
Vick’s personal agent Joel Segal indicated that Vick would be wearing Nike clothing and use its equipment as part of the deal. He offered up the fact that, “Mike has always been a fan of the brand and looks forward to the renewed relationship. Mike has had a great relationship with Nike and is excited to be part of the Nike team again.”
Not so fast says Nike. They put out their own statement today to clarify the false assumption that a “contractual relationship” had been reestablished. Nike said “we agreed to supply product to Michael Vick as we do a number of athletes who are not under contract with Nike.”
Vick and Nike had an endorsement contract when the athlete played for the Atlanta Falcons. Vick was dropped by Nike two years ago after he pleaded guilty to operating a dog fighting ring, which led to a 20-month sentence.
Vick’s Eagles jersey is the NFL’s fourth highest-seller since he was reinstated by the NFL a month ago. It should be interesting to see if Nike takes it a step further any time soon in light of the snafu by Segal.