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Reebok, Nike suspend Michael Vick products
2007-07-28
Athletic shoe and sportswear manufacturers Nike Inc. and Reebok said on Friday they were suspending sales of products endorsed by Michael Vick following accusations the National Football League star had sponsored a dog-fighting operation. Nike said it had suspended Vick's contract without pay and would not sell any Vick apparel or shoes at its company-owned stores at present. "While we respect the legal process, we find the allegations against Mr. Vick too disturbing to ignore," said Reebok, a division of Germany's Adidas AG, in a statement. Nike said it was "concerned" by the allegations against Vick, a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, but stood by an earlier statement that it had not terminated its relationship with Vick. "We do believe that Michael Vick should be afforded the same due process as any citizen in the United States," the company said. The Humane Society of the United States has been urging its members to pressure Nike to drop Vick's sponsorship agreement. This is the first time Reebok has decided to suspend sales of products associated with an athlete due to the athlete's offensive behavior, company spokeswoman Denise Kaigler said. Vick, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback who was the top pick in the 2001 NFL draft, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges he and three associates were involved in a dog-fighting venture. Vick and the three others were engaged in a dog-fighting enterprise known as "Bad Newz Kennels" from early 2001 through April 2007, according to an 18-page indictment. Dogs sometimes fought to the death on Vick's property, the indictment said. It added that either Vick or one of his associates killed losing or underperforming dogs by electrocution, hanging, drowning or slamming them to the ground. The judge set a November 26 trial date, which falls in the middle of the 2007 NFL football season. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this week suspended Vick and ordered him not to attend preseason training, pending the league's review of his case. Nike had said in a July 19 statement that it would delay the release of Vick's fifth signature shoe, the "Zoom Vick V," which was to be shipped to stores on August 1. But it said then that its relationship with Vick was not terminated. Reebok does not have a separate marketing relationship with Vick, but it is the official supplier of all National Football League apparel and equipment, according to the statement. Reebok could not be immediately reached for additional comment. (Additional reporting by Alexandria Sage)
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