Vick Indictment a Predicament for the N.F.L.

By Judy Battista
The New York Times
July 19, 2007

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
PHOTO: Michael Vick might find it hard to recover from the charges, says Neil Schwartz, a sporting goods analyst.

As National Football League officials met yesterday to discuss his situation, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick learned that the federal indictment charging him with sponsoring a dogfighting operation will keep him away from football for at least one day.

When his teammates gather next Thursday for the first day of training camp, Vick will be in a Richmond, Va., courtroom, where he is scheduled to appear at a bond hearing and an arraignment on charges that could send him to prison.

Since he joined the N.F.L. in 2001, Vick’s No. 7 jersey had been among the top five sellers among all players, according to the N.F.L. Vick could rejoin the Falcons the day after his arraignment, unless the Falcons or the N.F.L. decide to discipline him.

As the Humane Society of the United States and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for the N.F.L. to suspend Vick, the league began discussing its options, consulting with the Falcons’ owner, Arthur Blank, who returned yesterday from a trip to Africa.

“We said we were disappointed,” a league official said, referring to a statement released by the N.F.L. on Tuesday. “It’s beyond disappointment.”

Vick spoke with Commissioner Roger Goodell at the N.F.L. draft in April, only days after the dogfighting operation came to light. Vick said at the time that he did not know what had gone on at the property he owned in Surry County, Va.

The players union, which is involved in disciplinary matters and which has strongly supported Goodell’s initiative to crack down on player misconduct, issued a statement yesterday that, like the league’s statement Tuesday, emphasized allowing the case to work its way through the legal system.

“It’s unfortunate that Michael Vick is in this position, as these allegations are extremely disturbing and offensive,” the union said in its statement. “This case is now in the hands of the judicial system and we have to allow the legal process to run its course. However, we recognize Michael still has the right to prove his innocence. Hopefully, these allegations are untrue and Michael will be able to continue his N.F.L. career. We will continue to monitor this case very closely.”

The league’s new personal-conduct policy gives Goodell broad latitude in deciding how to discipline players who commit off-field infractions. The indictment against Vick, who has never been arrested, alleges that dogfights have taken place on his property since at least 2002.

Goodell is in the awkward position of having to consider whether to suspend a player who has no track record of being in trouble, even if the indictment is damning. The league will probably move deliberately, allowing the case to move through the courts before deciding whether to discipline Vick. If Vick is disciplined, the Falcons could draw a grievance from the union. It is unlikely the Falcons would cut Vick because of the enormous salary cap hit the team would take.

If Vick is suspended, Joey Harrington, the former Lions and Dolphins quarterback, would become the starter under the first-year coach Bobby Petrino. The Falcons traded away their highly regarded backup, Matt Schaub, before the dogfighting situation arose. The Falcons could also pursue another quarterback, perhaps Daunte Culpepper, who was released by the Dolphins this week. The situation for the Falcons may be complicated if Vick is available to play.

“There’s no concentration because everybody and their brother is asking: ‘What about Michael? How much has he hurt your team?’ ” said Gil Brandt, the former Dallas Cowboys personnel executive who analyzes the league for NFL.com. “I don’t think it’s as big a loss as you first envision it being. It’s going to be a distraction if he’s around there. I don’t think it will be as much if he’s not around there.”

Nike, with whom Vick has an endorsement contract, has had little to say since the indictment. Vick’s contract with AirTran airlines was not renewed in the spring. Still, several sports marketing executives point to the Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant as an example of an athlete who survived damaging allegations, in Bryant’s case a rape accusation, with his career and reputation largely intact.

Mike Paul (president of MGP & Associates PR) is a sports marketing executive in New York who has counseled athletes on how to handle crises, believes Vick must quickly explain his side of the story publicly if he is to salvage his reputation.

“There are few affinities that touch everybody: people who have kids and, second to that, is people who have pets,” Paul said. “The teams are going to learn how powerful this affinity is between people and their pets.”

But Neil Schwartz, the director of business development for SportsOneSource, a company in Princeton, N.J., that studies the sporting goods industry, said it may be difficult for Vick to recover from such serious charges.

“Americans are incredibly forgiving people,” Schwartz said. “But there are certain things people won’t overlook. This is one of them. Steroid use, I think people will overlook it. Drug use, our athletes get a lot of chances. But the P.R. from this is going to be horrible. This could be one of the all-time worst errors in judgment in the history of errors in judgment.”