Vick’s New Deal With Nike Is Bogus, According to Spokesman

Just as Darren Rovell speculated: Nike doesn’t have a deal with Vick. According to Rovell, a Nike spokesperson told him there is no contract, the deal is simply free products for Vick.

So, yeah, Vick might not actually be that marketable icon again just yet.

You know, it’s been several hours since Vick’s agent announced the Nike deal, and we’ve yet to hear from a Nike spokesman on the matter. What’s more, Nike has even declined comment on the signing. CNBC’s Darren Rovell finds this matter slightly unsettling:

Pretty much all of the post-Vick endorsement reaction is going to center on what the decision means for Nike’s business; after all, there’s not much to analyze about Michael Vick’s position. (“Money? Sure!”) But is Nike taking a bigger risk with Vick? What happens if something goes wrong? Yahoo!’s Dan Wetzel has an interesting perspective:

Which makes sense, except, um, is that a good thing? Companies want to be the establishment, right? Or is Wetzel implying that Nike was better before it took the seat of power?

And so the deal’s official, according to Vick’s agency:

One giant leap for Mike Vick’s rehabilitation as a public figure just happened: according to Kathleen Hessert, Vick just signed a new endorsement deal with Nike.

No specific details yet, but don’t misread the implications of Vick becoming a marketable figure again. It is not Nike deciding to push Vick on the public; it is Nike reading the drifts of public opinion and taking the drift from them. If Nike has welcomed him back into the fold, it is the NFL fanbase leading the way, not the other way around.