CNBC is reporting (7/1/11) that Nike has re-signed Michael Vick to an endorsement contract four years after firing him for conduct termed “inhumane, abhorrent and unacceptable.” The reunion, believed unprecedented in American sports, marks Vick’s third (Unequal Technologies, Core Synergy) since his extreme makeover from slime back to superstar. Nike spokesman Derek Kent said, “Michael acknowledges his past mistakes. We do not condone those actions, but we support the positive changes he has made to better himself off the field.” Translation: time to make some money again.
Vick was recently named Sportsman of the Year by BET Network (hardly a surprise, for many in the black community thought Vick’s persecution racially motivated), and his autobiography (Michael Vick: Finally Free) will be out later this month. The CNBC article claims that Dick’s is not selling Vick jerseys, but its website says otherwise. In short, he is back, bigger and soon-to-be richer than ever.
Nike’s Code of Ethics employee handbook reads: “That means the work-related activities of every employee must reflect standards of honesty, loyalty, trustworthiness, fairness, concern for others and accountability.” And Nike’s contractors must provide a “safe, hygienic, and healthy workplace setting.” So, I imagine that Vick embodies those qualities except when he’s drowning, electrocuting, and hanging dogs. And though Vick is not a contractor, would his pits, where dogs were forced to tear each other to shreds, qualify as a “healthy workplace setting”? Just wondering.
Mr. Knight, haven’t you made enough money (some $12 billion, says Forbes) by now? Aren’t there enough decent (we are not setting the bar too high) people in sports with whom you can conduct business with? Re-signing Vick betrays your Code of Ethics as a sham; in the end, Nike has bedded a simple sadist. Michael Vick gained pleasure from the deliberate cruelty towards others, which is the worst our species is capable of. And you, Nike, shake his hand.
Once “abhorrent” (and only because public sentiment was decidedly against Vick) behavior is quickly forgotten when sneakers need to be sold. The only redemption here is on the field: The erstwhile dog torturer/killer is a great football player once again, so the time has come to jump back in those shallow waters. Integrity in all those responsible (NFL, Eagles, media, fans, Nike) for Vick’s rewarding (for them and him) comeback is, sadly, nowhere to be found. Greed without scruples, the ugly side of capitalism.
