Unequal Technologies, makers of sports equipment including the protective vest that Michael Vick(notes) wore this season to protect his ribs, is making Vick the face of its company.
It's Vick's first national endorsement deal since he spent 19 months in the pokey for his role in an interstate dogfighting ring. A few months ago, he had done some endorsement work for Woodbury Nissan, but it was just a local gig, and Vick reportedly wasn't paid.
Before any of that dogfighting mess went down, Vick was one of the most sought-after endorsers in sports. There was the Madden cover, the Michael Vick Experience, Coca-Cola, and a bunch of others. Vick was on TV more than Ryan Seacrest.
Unequal Technologies isn't exactly Nike, so it's not like this means that Vick has snuggled his way back into the hearts of the American public. We don't know yet what the Unequal people plan to do with him, but the company's CEO, Rob Vito, described Vick's earnings on the deal as "sizable." From Philly.com:
"We believe it was worth it," he said, "because of Michael Vick and how he can shed light on the technology of our products."
[...]
"We're real excited about it," Vito said. "Michael is good people. He paid his dues. President Obama reached out to him. He deserves an opportunity. This is what makes America so great. He's moved forward. He's a whole other person."
Score one for forgiveness and moving forward. And for capitalism.
Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Thursday, January 27th 2011 at 10:41AM
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