The Wolf Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football...dog_jersey.html What's next, a Donte Stallworth beer koozie? If you own a dog and a twisted sense of humor, the NFL is ready and willing to help turn your four-legged friend into a Michael Vick fan for the small fee of $39.99 plus tax and shipping. That's the price you'll pay for the "custom pet jersey" selling on the NFL's Web site at NFLshop.com, where a Daily News reporter placed an order Wednesday for a Philadelphia Eagles dog jersey, size large, with the No. 7 and the name "VICK" on the back. At the NFL, that's business as usual. "Like any other player, (customers) can obtain that name and that jersey if they wish," league spokesman Greg Aiello said. "As far as putting it on the dog product, he's working with humane societies, working to educate others on this issue, so we don't see a problem." The NFL keeps a surreal list of more than 1,100 words and names that shoppers cannot use when customizing their spamshirts, consisting mostly of swears, slurs and an avalanche of sexual references that would make Caligula blush. That same list applies to the pooch ponchos, and an attempt to order an Eagles No. 7 dog jersey with the banned name "MEXICO" - as in Ron Mexico, Vick's alias in a 2005 lawsuit alleging that he knowingly infected a woman with herpes (the suit was settled out of court) - was denied. Still, NFLshop will deck out your doggie with the name "VICK" - or even, until yesterday, with the name "BAD NEWZ," the infamous title of the vicious dogfighting operation Vick was convicted of bankrolling and helping to run, landing him in federal prison for 18 months. In response to The News' inquiry, Aiello said the NFL had added "BAD NEWZ" to the names it considers bad news. "That has been added to the filter of names that are inappropriate, and fans will no longer be able to customize their spamshirts in that way," he said. "You can choose to purchase a Vick jersey just like any other player, but 'Bad Newz' is inappropriate for obvious reasons." Vick, who was released from federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan., in May and from home confinement in July, signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract (with an option for a second year) with the Eagles last week. On Vick's first day of training camp, fans of the two-legged variety were spotted around the Eagles' practice facility sporting brand new No. 7 Vick Eagles spamshirts. (Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Dick's Sporting Goods, with seven stores in the Philly area and an eighth coming, has declined to stock Vick spamshirts on its racks because it perceives a lack of demand.) Aiello noted that customizable spamshirts for dogs have been available for more than a year for any player on all 32 teams. And even if any dog-owning Philly fans choose to burden their best pal with a Vick jersey, Aiello couldn't guarantee they could even get that far. He said at a certain point it's out of the NFL's hands. "There's a big, long list of names that are automatically filtered out, and there's some things you just can't think of," he said. "The company that then fulfills the order may then take another look at it and decide whether it's appropriate. So that product you ordered, you may not actually get it, I don't know." Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football...l#ixzz0Ok7aKHI8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Not unusual to see the marketing department capitalizing on what the league condemns. How many times do we see highlight films with hits on WRs that were fined and/or causes for suspension on the field? Still, this one is over the top and someone ought to rethink their priorities when it comes to bad taste/stupidity in comparison to profit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 And the NFL usually has strict policies on what it will license, refusing to sell controversial items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhalla Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Stupid...Not only semi-offensive but I can't believe that Vick ok'd the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Businesses love that money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Would you buy a customized Michael Vick jersey for your dog? Sure, it's all in good fun and football is supposed to be fun 27% Heck no, there's nothing funny about Vick's crimes 68% Only if he signs with my team! 4% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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