Man, justice is swift in the Roger Goodell Era. Well, not really justice in the commonly understood innocent-until-proven-guilty sense. More like super-rapid crackdowns and suspensions for high-profile NFL players who are generally surrounded by an aura of lawlessness. Or wide receivers who break dudes’ faces because said dude tries to get them to leave house parties. Well, not the last guy I mentioned, but I’m sure they’ll get to that if he’s proven guilty, or if sports radio guys get really angry about it. Sure, the NFL Players Union will make a big stink about one of their own getting suspen…sorry, that’s wrong. Sorry.
Anyway, if you thought Goodell (above) would put it on you with the quickness when it comes to suspensions, you’re 1) correct and 2) not going to be surprised by the NFL’s stealthy approach to sartorial justice. Darren Rovell, what were you doing this morning?
(Well, David,) I wandered on to NFLShop.com to do my daily check on everything Michael Vick and I noticed something strange. I couldn’t find Michael Vick No. 7 jerseys anywhere.
So I called the NFL and asked them why they had made this decision. “We have suspended sales of Vick-related merchandise on our official league e-commerce site, NFLShop.com,” said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. “This includes Vick jerseys and collectible items such as autographed balls and other memorabilia.” McCarthy said the decision was made because it was “not appropriate under the circumstances.” The suspension will take place for the immediate future.
Reebok also announced that they are suspending distribution on Michael Vick jerseys, issuing a statement saying, “While we respect the legal process we find the allegations against Mr. Vick too disturbing to ignore, therefore, we have decided to immediately suspend selling Vick NFL product, both at retail and on-line through the Reebok website.”
How this will impact sales of Roger Vick replica jerseys on eBay is a developing story that I’ll stay on top of. It doesn’t seem to have driven up the prices appreciably on the Michael Vick jerseys for sale on eBay, although it’s depressing as hell not surprising to see that tasteful online entrepreneurs are already all over the moneymaking opportunity that is “Property of Bad Newz Kennel” t-shirts. Good one.