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"When it comes to athletes' behavior, the fans have very short memories or don't seem to care," Scott said. "This one might prove to be different. It might be forgive and remember instead of forgive and forget, and that's a very big distinction."
Vick isn't being completely ignored, simply because he's back in the NFL. He was on the cover of the Madden NFL 2004 video game and was not included this year only because it was completed before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally lifted Vick's suspension.
EA Sports made Vick available as part of a roster update on Wednesday and said there was no debate about including him.
"We're not judge and jury," EA Tiburon spokesman Rob Semsey said. "If he's approved by the NFL to come back and be signed by a team, he's just like any other player. We make sure our game is as authentic as possible. Adding Vick was a no-brainer."
Vick's replica Eagles jersey, which retails for $79.99, was the top seller on NFLShop.com as of Wednesday. Jersey maker Reebok did not return calls for comment.
But Dick's Sporting Goods, a Pennsylvania-based company, said Wednesday it is not currently selling Vick's jersey in any of its 300-plus stores.
"It is strictly a business decision, not at all a political statement of any kind. We are only in the business of meeting the needs of our customers," Dick's chief marketing officer Jeff Hennion said. "I personally have not heard any retailers with stores in the Philadelphia area talking up the demand for the jersey."
It's not inconceivable that Vick could one day return as a pitchman, following the path of Kobe Bryant and Ray Lewis. Both bounced back from legal woes to serve as spokesmen for makers of athletic apparel.
Scott said Vick first needs to rehabilitate his image. He must follow through on promises to get involved in animal rights' work and the public must believe he is genuine.
"It's going to be a nontraditional type company, one that doesn't mind the controversy," Scott said. "They would enjoy the notoriety and buzz created by signing him. You might see an upstart, maybe an apparel manufacturer with a real edge. But edgy and animal cruelty don't go together. It's going to have be one whose targeted consumers are more interested in his athletic appeal than his overall body of work."
[Associated Press;
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