Nike sends bad message by re-signing Vick

You can follow Charles Robinson on Twitter at @YahooSportsNFL.

Editor's Note: Charles Robinson's column was written prior to Nike's statement release on Oct. 1 that no "contractual agreement" has been reached with Michael Vick.

Nike was concerned. Highly disturbed.

"We consider any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent."

Vick made his NFL return against the Chiefs in Week 3.

(Matt Slocum/AP Photo)

That's what Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said about Michael Vick(notes) a little more than two years ago, on the day the sports endorsement mecca suspended its contractual ties with the quarterback. The message was unambiguous. Vick's indictment on dogfighting charges – along with his lying and deception – had soured even the staunchest corporate palate in America. Inhumanity has a definitive price in the business world.

Now we know the exact price. Sixty-four days into his NFL return, Vick has apparently paid it.

Two months back in the professional ranks seems to cleanse the soul. That's the message Nike sent Wednesday, when the athletic apparel mammoth reportedly re-signed Vick as an endorser. Nobody's talking details at the moment – both Nike and Vick's representatives have been mum on what the move means – but you can bet it isn't going to be a low-impact affair. For Nike to take the risk on Vick, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, suggests a long-term plan.

Whatever the strategy, the signing screams one of two things: Either Nike is giving its blessing that Vick has been pardoned by the endorsement gods, or it is saying that while Vick is re-aligning his moral compass there is nothing wrong with a little corporate profiteering along the way. After all, the NFL commissioner and Tony Dungy have gone out of their way to help Vick reclaim his place. Why not Nike, too?

You've got to sell jerseys, right? A shoe executive has to eat.

Not that Vick should be blamed. A shoe company wants to pay you to wear its apparel, you take the check. They want you to be an endorser and role model to the masses, you thank them for the vote of confidence. You don't shun opportunity. However, what does this say about Nike and the business of sports?

Shortly before going to prison, Vick was inhumane and abhorrent enough to cancel out his lucrative relationship with Nike. Now, a little more than two months after being released from federal custody, all of that has been erased. The stench of bad behavior, years of it, has vanished in the time it takes to go through a stick of deodorant. Seriously?

There's no doubt that Vick can make money for Nike. His jersey was one of the league's top five sellers heading into September. And while Nike denies that's the bottom line, don't be fooled. This isn't just about a company wanting to take an active role in setting things straight. This isn't a heartfelt moral statement. It's not Charles Barkley looking into a camera and saying, "I'm not a role model." This is Vick having gained the acceptance of the NFL to where some actually are looking at him as a sympathetic figure. He's gone from perpetrator to victim almost overnight, to the point where a fan allegedly can be turned away from an Eagles home game for wearing an anti-Vick T-shirt.

Now, that victimization has opened the door for corporate profit a little earlier than anyone expected. It has made Michael Vick whole again. He's not a starting quarterback. He's not one of the top five offensive players on his team. He may not even be the Eagles' second-best quarterback, or play for the franchise in 12 months. But he can sell, so he can once again be a role model. Never mind if 64 days into the second half of his NFL career is an appropriate time to prove that Vick is, you know, actually on the right path. If people are behind him and they've got their credit cards, then as far as Nike is concerned, he's on the right path.

Again, don't fault Vick for signing the deal, but shake your head at Nike. Ask who came up with this threshold. Ask who was in the meeting where someone decided, "Yeah, two months back in the NFL seems about right." Never mind that Vick is attempting to recreate himself after years of ugly behavior. It wasn't just about the dogfighting. What about the failed drug test before his prison sentencing? What about the "Ron Mexico" embarrassment? What about Vick's own admission – that despite a $130 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons, he wasn't always working hard at his craft?

Nike once famously ran an advertisement about the "Michael Vick Experience," where an NFL fan is strapped into a seat and goes through a ride as if he were on the field and in Vick's cleats. As one good friend said to me Wednesday night, "What is the Vick experience going to be now – jail? Lockdown?"

Maybe that's the angle. Maybe it's about the human experience more than the proven moral substance. If so, then nothing has changed. We're being told that lifestyle can be prematurely re-packaged and redemption can be a business opportunity. Michael Vick the role model was resurrected quicker than many of us thought was possible or appropriate. However, this is the reality of sports business. Something that was "highly disturbed" yesterday can be highly profitable tomorrow.

But Nike says Vick has paid his price. Now they're back together again, and hoping you'll pay one, too.