America At Large: Between 2002 and 2005, replicas of Michael Vick's No 7 Atlanta Falcons jersey outsold those of any other player in the NFL. You couldn't walk a city block in New York, let alone Atlanta, without encountering somebody wearing one.
Anyone who owns a Vick jersey these days probably keeps it in the bottom of a drawer, and it's not just because of his increasingly disappointing performances on the field.
The Atlanta quarterback's public image had already taken a bit of a hit-by-association from the unsavoury exploits of his younger brother Marcus, but Michael Vick now seems determined to carve his own niche in the Bad Boys' Hall of Fame. His reputation has, quite literally, gone to the dogs.
Virginia Tech has been in the news for other reasons of late, but between 1999 and 2005 the Blacksburg (Virginia) university was better known for a football programme that might as well have been a Vick family dynasty, with first Michael and then Marcus manning the quarterback position. In his two seasons with the Hokies, Michael Vick led his team to a 20-1 record. In 2005, Marcus Vick's only full season at the helm, Virginia Tech went 11-2.
Michael was the first pick in the entire country when selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL draft, and he quickly established himself as a superstar-in-the-making. In just his second season with the Falcons he was named to the first of what would be three Pro Bowl berths.
While Michael was tearing up the NFL, his little brother was having problems down in Blacksburg. In 2004 Marcus was convicted of supplying alcohol to three teenage girls in return for presumed favours. He was also charged with possession of marijuana in connection with a reckless-driving arrest.
The university suspended him before the football season even commenced.
Marcus was reinstated in 2005, but playing against Louisville in the post-season Gator Bowl, he stomped on the leg and foot of a fallen opponent. He protested the attack had been "accidental," but Virginia Tech permanently dismissed him from the football team.
During all this, it should be noted, Michael Vick was still considered the 'good son', but in 2005, a Sonja Elliott filed suit, charging he had knowingly infected her with genital herpes.
The court documents included allegations Vick had been treated for the malaise under the assumed name "Ron Mexico".
Marcus Vick signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent. He was released before the regular season, but signed to the team's practice squad and got into one game, as a wide receiver.
In December, Marcus was sued by a Virginia girl who claimed she had a sexual relationship with him when she was under 15 and Marcus had plied her with alcohol and marijuana and induced her to have sex with other men.
The Dolphins released him earlier this year. He was subsequently signed by the New Orleans Saints but released last month.
Despite the excitement generated by his freewheeling playing style, Atlanta fans have become increasingly restive over the performance of Michael Vick's teams on the field. Following a loss to the Saints in the Georgia Dome last November, he saluted booing Falcons fans with an obscene gesture as he left the field. He apologised, but was fined $10,000.
In January, two weeks after the Falcons had concluded a 7-9 season, Vick attempted to board an airplane in Miami carrying a water bottle, which he initially refused to surrender but eventually dumped in a trash can.
Suspicious authorities retrieved it and discovered it had a false bottom containing "a small amount of dark particulate and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana." Laboratory testing did not establish the presence of marijuana, so Michael got off the hook on that one, but days later someone discovered that his girlfriend's myspace.com page included a photograph of her posing with Vick, who was plainly clutching a joint in his left hand.
Michael Vick somehow skated through all of those adventures, but may not escape his latest one. In April police stumbled onto a property in Surry County, Virginia, which appeared to be the epicentre of a large dogfighting operation.
They removed 68 dogs, including 55 pit bulls. The wooded estate included a large, blood- stained dogfighting pit. The owner of the property turned out to be Michael Vick.
Although Michael blames it all on relatives abusing his hospitality, numerous sources have told journalists Vick was a major player who had bet as much as $40,000 on a dogfight to the death.
The NFL office has withheld judgement pending an investigation by Virginia authorities, but it seems likely Vick could be suspended once charged (as insurance against which the Falcons have signed Padraig Harrington's cousin Joey as a possible replacement).
The court of public opinion may not be quite as tolerant as the NFL commissioner. This past Tuesday, the National Humane Society urged Vick's apparel firm to sever its association with him, pleading, "We trust that Nike does not want to be associated with any celebrity who is linked to this odious form of animal cruelty."
Nike has millions tied up in advertising built around Vick, and its immediate response was it would honour its arrangement with the player pending the legal process.
Of course, CBS said it would stand behind its contract with Don Imus after the broadcaster's racist remarks last spring. Two days later, after African-American leaders threatened to boycott sponsors, the network fired Imus.
Unless we badly miss our guess, the Humane Society's next step will be to call for a boycott of Nike products. We'll see how long Nike sticks with Michael Vick if that happens.
