Despite his widely publicized comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles, Michael Vick remains the most despised NFL player according to a new poll from Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research.
On Monday Forbes said that Vick is the NFL’s most disliked player based on the results of new a poll. The results? 60 percent of respondents said they “dislike,” “dislike somewhat,” or dislike the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback “a lot.”
From Forbes:
Vick has clearly made some public reparations over the past two years with his strong play on the field and gentlemanly behavior off of it. But these things have a way of taking time.
Why the continued hostility toward Vick? Nielsen Sports VP Stephen Master chalks it up to the scientific sample that mirrors the entire U.S. population, not just hardcore football fans. Casual fans that know Vick’s name primarily through his dog fighting legal circus naturally tend to focus on the negative. Women, for example, view Vick negatively at a 70% clip, compared to 50% for men.
Michael Vick was charged with involvement in an illegal interstate dog fighting ring in 2007. In August of that year the NFL star plead guilty to federal felony charges and served 21 months in prison, followed by two months in home confinement. Returning to football shortly after his release, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback recently signed a substantial endorsement deal with Nike, who cited “the positive changes he has made to better himself off the field.”
