DICK’S KEEPS VICK UNDER WRAPS (FOR NOW)

So it turns out that businesses don’t really care about Michael Vick’s trouble with the law. Dick’s Sporting Goods isn’t stocking Vick jerseys — but that’s not because of the whole dogfighting thing. Instead, Dick’s chief marketing officer Jeff Hennion said that the sporting goods chain was waiting to gauge demand for Vick jerseys. Mitchell Modell echoed Hennion’s sentiments by saying, “as long as the customers are coming in, we’ll sell it.”  Outrage?  Not so much.

Via Philly.com:

There is no Vick at Dick’s.

A spokesman for Dick’s Sporting Goods said today the chain will not stock Michael Vick’s Eagles jersey until they “evaluate the reaction of Eagles fans.”

Meanwhile, the NFLShop, the league’s merchandizing arm, is offering several styles of Vick’s gridiron apparel – including a customizable jersey for dogs.

Vick, the former star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, was released from a federal prison in May after serving 18 months on a dog-fighting conviction. His signing with the Eagles last week has polarized the team’s fans and triggered a storm of debate across the country.

“Right now we don’t know how much of a demand there is for [the jersey],” Dick’s chief marketing officer, Jeff Hennion, said in a prepared statement. “If there is a demand for it, we’ll sell it.”

Mitchell Modell, owner and CEO of Modell’s Sporting Goods, said he initially had reservations about selling Vick jerseys. But it didn’t take long to see there was “pretty high demand” for No. 7’s replica sports apparel – especially at his Philadelphia-area stores.

“We weren’t planning on selling it until the customers started coming into the stores demanding it,” Modell said. “As long as the customers are coming in, we’ll sell it. We’re in the business to serve our customers.”

Tags: dick's sporting goods, football, jeff hennion, jerseys, michael vick, mitchell modell, modell's sporting goods, NFL, philadelphia eagles