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Michael Vick Trading Cards Soon to Become Very Rare

July 30, 2007, 1:29PM MT

By Joy Moffat

While some companies still say Michael Vick deserves his day in court, far more are saying that the allegations are just too heinous to ignore.

While some companies still say Michael Vick deserves his day in court, far more are saying that the allegations are just too heinous to ignore.

By Jon Dunn, Best Friends Staff

Both Reebok and Nike say they are stopping production of Vick merchandise, and now two trading card companies are ending their relationships with Vick.

Every day at the Donruss office, owner Ann Powell brings in her six Labrador retrievers. Scott Prusha with the company says Powell was certainly the driving force behind their decision.

“Removing him from our products certainly does affect our bottom line,” said Prusha. “He is one of the most collected players in the NFL, but we just felt like it was the right thing to do.”

Donruss and another card company, Upper Deck, have both decided to no longer produce anything bearing the Vick image or name. And for Donruss, it means canceling an autograph agreement with Vick, a deal that goes into the tens of thousands of dollars.

For now, Donruss says they have no plans to ever produce Vick cards again, possibly even if he is found not guilty. “Maybe if that somehow happens we would revisit our decision, but our decision was unanimous and the support so far has been overwhelming, so I find it unlikely that we would ever work with Vick again,” said Prusha.

While these decisions may have some impact on the value of a Vick trading card it appears Vick is doing the most damage. According to the trading card price guide Beckett, cards of Vick that used to go for $1600 dollars, now are lucky to sell for $500 with those drops coming in the last year.

Photo courtesy of Beckett Media
Posted by Joy Moffat

Comments

Posted July 30, 2007, 5:15PM by rmlamasney25

Yay! and, YAY!!!! thanks to Donruss & UpperDeck for putting decency, compassion & morality above profit! What a wonderful thing you have done.

I know this will send the message to other athletes involved in animal cruelty, that is, cruelty will NOT be tolerated, and involvement in it will hurt your wallet!

Posted August 01, 2007, 7:49PM by Joy

Vick's deals with Coca-Cola, EA Sports. Kraft Foods and Hasbro expired some time ago and were just never renewed. I imagine those CFOs are breathing sighs of relief.

You're absolutely right, Aubrie. Those contracts were lost to Vick before the dogfighting charges were even raised. This is not the first time that he has displayed poor judgment and bad behavior, just the worst.

Posted August 01, 2007, 11:24AM by southerndogmom

Rawlings dumped Vick yesterday:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/07/31/bc.fbn.vick.rawlings.ap/index.html

Good for them.

Posted July 30, 2007, 3:24PM by southerndogmom

A lot of people are bent out of shape, feeling that Vick is being tried in the court of public opinion without the benefit of our legal system.

As someone involved in that system on a daily basis, I'd like to give those people a reality check. Yes, people in our society are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. But what we're talking about with the trading cards and the endorsements being pulled by Nike, Reebok and other companies has nothing to do with guilt or innocence. It has to do with perception. Why would a company continue to associate itself with someone who is perceived to have been involved in such henious crimes? To do so would be financial suicide. Better to cut their losses now than to hold steady and sink with the VickShip.

This is the price to be paid for being a public figure. You earned millions, Vick. Let's hope you invested wisely. Your physical skills were certainly never worth that you've already been paid. You were paid outrageous sums of money based on public demand for the sport of football. Now that same public is making its displeasure known.

Posted July 30, 2007, 8:41PM by kendra

"A lot of people are bent out of shape, feeling that Vick is being tried in the court of public opinion without the benefit of our legal system."

Well, we have to make sure that they don't pull an OJ, where all the evidence points to guilty, but they say innocent. In my opinion, it's about letting the legal system and Vick himself know that public is taking this very seriously...

Posted August 01, 2007, 5:44PM by kendra

Oh, good. I stopped drinking Coke because of this, but I guess now I can drink it again.
I really hope that, after all of this, he's found guilty. I don't want to think of what kind of horrible names animal rights/welfare activists will be called if he's found innocent. We're already picked on enough, in my opinion.

Posted July 31, 2007, 5:49PM by bear1

I am proud that these companies are taking the initiative to pull Vick products and cut association with him.
Perception is reality.
If he didn't know - it was his responsiblity TO know
End of Story.

Posted August 01, 2007, 4:32PM by kendra

Haha! This is great! And I agree with you, bear1, it was his responsibility to know. And personally, I don't see how he could have not known. Even if he wasn't involved, I just don't see how word didn't get back around to him that a huge dogfighting operation was being run out of his property. You'd think SOMEONE would have mentioned it to him. Plus, I saw on the news that one of the three accused men came forward and confessed. As part of the arrangement, if called on, he'll have to testify against the other two men. So, it's looking worse and worse for Vick everyday.
Does anyone know if Coke ever dropped him, or are they still standing behind him?

Posted August 01, 2007, 4:55PM by southerndogmom

Because of what I do for a living, I was able to access the statement of facts that his co-defendant, Tony Taylor, pled guilty to. I didn't read the whole thing. I just can't.

Let's just say that if Mr. Taylor's plea deal is any indicator of Vick's involvement, he's not only in some major legal trouble. He may have to hire additional body guards if he's found guilty of these acts. And my local contact was right - dogs were being brought into Virginia from all over the place. One was shipped there from here - Alabama. I hope they can find all of the people involved in this in due time. Not just the celebrities.

Vick's deals with Coca-Cola, EA Sports. Kraft Foods and Hasbro expired some time ago and were just never renewed. I imagine those CFOs are breathing sighs of relief.

Posted August 01, 2007, 5:4PM by marla

Personally, I hope he did not invest wisely. I hope he goes broke period.

Many thanks and good wishes to the companies who have dropped vic.

Posted July 30, 2007, 4:45PM by kathy_g

Kudos to Donruss and Upper Deck!
Little by little, I think Vick will find that he's not as slick as he thought....no one should be above the law.

Love the photo, by the way! :)