The Public Still Doesn't Like Vick: Poll

Dynamically leading the Eagles, speaking out against dogfighting and gaining some endorsements might be enough to earn a $100-million contract from your team but it seemingly has yet to be enough to repair Michael Vick’s image amongst the general American public.

Vick is the most disliked player in the NFL, Forbes reported Monday:

The latest public surveys from Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research, a tracker of public perceptions of athletes and other celebrities, show that Vick still stands as the least liked player in the NFL. According to the poll, a full 60-percent of respondents claim the Eagles quarterback as a player they “dislike,” “dislike somewhat,” or “dislike a lot.”

The E-Poll-Nielsen results were limited to active NFL players that record a minimum 10-percent awareness level with the public. 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 dogfighting legal circus naturally tend to focus on the negative.  Women, for example, view Vick negatively at a 70-percent clip, compared to 50 percent for men.

“If this were a poll of fantasy football players, you’d see a whole different result,” says Master. “They love him.”

Vick’s conviction and subsequent incarceration for dogfighting seemingly is the major factor in the public’s disdain for the Eagles quarterback. Americans love their pets -- sometimes seemingly more than their fellow man -- so it would make sense that bad memories have died hard for the general public.

Vick had company on the “disliked” list as backup Eagles QB Vince Young came in seventh place as 32-percent disliked, according to Forbes.

Young was recently sued over an alleged punch. Legal woes seemed to link a few high-profile guys on the list including Jets WR Plaxico Burress (second on the list at 56-percent disliked) and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (third at 49-percent disliked).

The rest of the Top 10 “disliked” were:
Patriots DL Albert Haynesworth (46 percent)
Bears QB Jay Cutler (38 percent)
Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco (35 percent)
Raiders QB Carson Palmer (31 percent)
Cowboys QB Tony Romo (29-percent)
Panthers TE Jeremy Shockey (29-percent)

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