Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesSeveral months after he completed a comeback season for the ages, Michael Vick completed a comeback of an entirely different sort on Friday. It didn't quite involve the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback making the Pro Bowl, but it is significant nonetheless.
Earlier today, it was announced that Nike had agreed to re-sign Vick to an endorsement deal, reigniting a relationship that was started in 2001 only to be cast aside a few years ago. After standing by his side for six years, Nike was forced to dump Vick as an endorser as soon as he pleaded guilty to dog-fighting charges in the summer of 2007.
"Michael acknowledges his past mistakes," Nike said in a statement to the Associated Press. "We do not condone those actions, but we support the positive changes he has made to better himself off the field."
Vick spent nearly two years in prison for his transgressions, and has spent the last two years trying to repair an image that most thought was broken for good. Even as recently as this time last year, the idea of Vick signing a major endorsement deal was just as absurd as the idea of him leading the Eagles to a division championship.
Funny how things turn out, don't you think?
Initially relegated to backup duty behind Kevin Kolb, Vick took hold of the Eagles' starting quarterback job and proceeded to embark on an absolutely electrifying season.
In just 12 regular season games, Vick threw for over 3,000 yards with 21 touchdowns and added another 676 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. His 100.2 quarterback rating was by far the best of Vick's career, and he was instrumental in leading the Eagles to a 10-6 record and an NFC East title.
Vick's magical season ultimately earned him NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors, and it also helped win over the vast majority of the football-loving public.
At long last, it was safe to like Michael Vick again.
However, it wasn't quite safe enough to start selling Vick again. While he may have have squared himself with football fans, the idea of packaging his name and throwing it out there for the masses was still a risky proposition.
After all, people hating Vick only costs him money. People hating a company for having the guts to peddle Vick was going to cost more people than just him.
Such is the essential profundity of today's announcement. Only time will tell whether or not Nike is making a smart re-investment, but the fact that they were finally ready to roll the dice on Vick is a pretty good indication of how safe the waters are.
There are still plenty of folks out there who will never forgive Vick for what he did, make no mistake about that. People are innocent until proven guilty in this society of ours, but they oftentimes stay guilty long after after they've paid their dues. Vick will be subject to this cruel reality for the rest of his life.
But you know what, today's developments go to show that things could be worse for Vick. Seeing as how things couldn't get any worse for him as recently as two years ago, that's good enough.
ncG1vNJzZmianJqupLTEq6meqJ%2BnwW%2BvzqZmmqqknrCtsdJobm5tY2eCbrnInJ%2BanZxiw6qvymaorpmiqbKzrsCcoqxloprBtr7NZquoZZ6euKZ50qGmsKtdnby4ecyumqFlmJp6qa3SZpmenZ5is7C%2BxqKtnqY%3D