Nike halts release of Vick shoe

ATLANTA — The other shoe dropped in the Michael Vick case Thursday.

Two days after the Falcons quarterback was indicted on federal dogfighting charges, athletic shoe giant Nike said it is suspending the release of its latest product bearing his name, the Zoom Vick V shoe that had been scheduled to hit retail stores next month.

Nike said in a statement that it is "concerned by the serious and highly disturbing allegations" against Vick and considers "any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent."

Vick has had an endorsement deal with Nike since entering the NFL, and the company said it isn't terminating that contract because Vick "should be afforded the same due process as any citizen."

The company does not plan to pull other shoes and shirts bearing Vick's name from the market.

Nike officials declined further comment.

The Zoom Vick V, Nike's fifth Vick signature shoe, had been scheduled to go on sale Aug. 23 for a retail price of $100.

David Carter, executive director of the sports business institute at the University of Southern California, said the decision to suspend release of the shoe "surprises me a little bit" because Nike "traditionally has stuck with troubled athletes."

Said Carter: "This is a pretty bold statement" from Nike.

Paul Swangard, of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, noted that many of the shoes already have been manufactured. But given the indictment, he said "there was no way to justify . . . putting one more shoe on the shelf" at this point.

Michael Atmore, editorial director of trade publication Footwear News, said pulling the shoe "is not going to make a huge difference" financially to a behemoth like Nike.

Tim Tucker writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Journal-Constitution writer Scott Leith contributed to this report.