Nike suspends Vick contract



FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. suspended its lucrative contract with Michael Vick on Friday, while Reebok took the unprecedented step of stopping sales of his No. 7 jersey.



In another dose of bad news for the indicted quarterback, a top trading card company announced it was pulling Vick likeness from any new packs.



Facing protests from animal rights groups, Nike announced it was suspending Vick endorsement deal without pay, as well as halting sales of Vick related shoes and other products at its retail stores.



is concerned by the serious and highly disturbing allegations made against Michael Vick, and we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent, Nike spokesperson Dean Stoyer said in a statement.



Reebok, the official uniform supplier of the NFL, said it would stop selling Vick replica jersey at retail stores a Nike LunarGlide 4 nd through its website.



Donruss, one of four major trading card companies, has decided to pull Vick card from any future 2007 releases, according to Beckett Media, which covers the collectibles industry.



All three hits came one day after the Atlanta Falcons quarterback pleaded not guilty to federal dogfighting charges in Richmond, Va. In the indictment, he was accused of sponsoring a gruesome operation that often shot, hanged, drowned or electrocuted losing dogs.



Since Vick has not been convicted of any crime, Nike left open the door to resume its business relationship with the star player if he acquitted. The company already had decided to suspend release of his fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V.



do believe that Michael Vick should be afforded the same due process as any citizen in the United States, the Nike statement said. we have not terminated our relationship. Vick signed with Nike in 2001, the same year Atlanta chose him as the NFL No. 1 overall draft pick. He led the Falcons to the NFC championship game during the 2004 season and last year became the first quarterback in league history to rush for 1,000 yards.



Vick is barred from the Falcons training camp, while the league investigates his actions for possible violations of its new personal conduct policy. He is set for trial Nov. 26 and faces up to five years in prison.



The case began April 25 when investigators conducting a drug search at a massive home Vick built in rural Virginia found 66 dogs, including 55 pit bulls, and equipment typically used in dogfighting. They included a stand that holds aggressive dogs in place for mating and a used to pry open a dog mouth. next week.



of Vick guilt or innocence in a court of law, the facts in this case clearly support this decision, PETA said. company wants a spokesperson with a massive illegal dogfighting ring operating on his property, regardless of his level of involvement. The Humane Society of the United States said the companies couldn ignore the overwhelming opposition to having any association with Vick. He said some 165,000 emails were sent to Nike through the group website.



think there a direct relationship, said Wayne Pacelle, president of the HSUS. asked them to do this and the pressure continued to build, especially as the facts of the indictment came out. It simply became an untenable position. There was immediate response from the Vick camp. An after hours phone message was left with his agent, Joel Segal, while unsuccessful attempts were made to reach his new attorney, Billy Martin, by phone and email.



Although Reebok does not have a business relationship with Vick, the Massachusetts based company serves as the official supplier of apparel and equipment to all 32 NFL teams. Through that deal, it holds the coveted rights to sell jerseys at the retail level.



just find the allegations very upsetting and very disturbing, Reebok spokesperson Denise Kaigler said. this is just the beginning of the legal process and we know that it has to have time to run its course, we felt that making this d nike ecision now was important and the right things to do. Reebok said it also was willing to take back any unsold Vick jerseys that are returned by retail outlets.



Kaigler said she already had received numerous emails in support of the decision. Even though numerous NFL players have run afoul of the law, this is the first time Reebok has stopped sales of an individual jersey.



number of emails and statements we getting from consumers was pretty telling about how disturbing people find these allegations to be, Kaigler said.



Beckett Media reported on its website that Donruss dropped Vick card at the behest of owner Ann Powell, whose five dogs accompany her to work every day and have virtually free reign inside the company headquarters.



anybody who knows about the current Vick situation knows Donruss, they know that this is a decision we had to make because of Ann and her love of dogs, company spokesman Scott Prusha told the website. decision came straight from Ann. Donruss had an autograph agreement with Vick, and much of the company plans for the remainder of the year included the insertion of both autograph and memorabilia cards bearing the quarterback picture.

Nike Stock Price Falls on News of Phil Knight



Building on the fitness and distance running craze of the decade, Bowerman molded shoe soles with his wife's waffle iron and Knight hawked the footwear from the trunk of his car to build a company that would challenge early market rival Adidas and eventually overtake it.



On Thursday, in a surprise announcement, Knight said he would resign as president and CEO, in effect giving up the reins of daily management while retaining h Nike Free 3.0 V2 is chairman's title.



Knight, however, suggested he would still play a major role as "an active chairman," adding in a humorous note that he would work on his status as the "world's No. 1 sports fan."



Effective Dec. 28, Knight will be replaced as Nike president and CEO by William D. Johnson Son Inc. Johnson, heading its operations in Spain and Latin America before rising to the top management posts in 1996.



Knight, in his resignation announcement, said he felt Perez not only had experience building international brand names, but also "knows how to operate a highly socially responsible global business."



Nike shares dropped $2.69 to $82.31 in on the New York Stock Exchange (



Knight has been defensive about repeated criticism over conditions at the contract factories in Asia and Latin America where most of Nike's production is based, including withholding major donations to the University of Oregon (



But Knight emerged as one of the leading corporate figures to organize efforts to improve factory conditions when he urged other companies to join the Fair Labor Association (



Some of Nike's leading critics have said they targeted the company because it was the largest in the industry and got the most media attention, providing the best way to apply pressure for reforms and overall corporate responsibility.



Nike has become the dominant force in the athletic equipment market with $12.3 billion in sales for its 2004 fiscal year.



It has acquired many other companies, including basketball shoe maker Converse, and signed a long list of celebrity athletes to endorse its products, including Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, which led Nike to create entire new divisions around the basketball and golf stars.



Nike has also built a fortune for Knight, ranked No. 22 among the wealthiest Americans by Forbes magazine in September with an estimated net worth of $7.4 billion.



Knight still owns 72 million about 28 percent of the voting shares of Nike Class B stock, worth about $6.12 billion, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (



"It can be likened to when an Andy Grove steps aside at Intel or Bill Gates hands the reins to Steve Ballmer at Microsoft. It's somewhat the passing of the torch. I think it's a natural transition though a rather significant one in the history of this c nike ompany," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon.



Perez, however, was considered a top choice.



"He's regarded very highly. He's considered to be smart, tough, disciplined and a global player," said Gary Stibel, a former Procter Gamble Co. executive who now runs the New England Consulting Group in Westport, Conn.

New Pal defense rules



New Palestine High School's defense has answered every challenge so far this football season. But it might be up for its biggest challenge yet.



The Class 4A No. 2 Dragons (13 0) will get a semistate road test from No. 1 Columbus East (13 0) on Friday night. The Olympians are averaging 52.3 points per game.



"Pretty much all season, but especially the last two weeks against two good offenses, our defense has come to play in a major way," New Palestine first year football coach Kyle Ralph said.



Ralph pointed out the final score was even a bit deceptive in New Pal's 27 14 victory over No. 4 Bishop Chatard because a fumbled punt inside the Dragons 30 yard line led to one of the touchdowns.



"The guys up front have been doing a nice job of being physical," Ralph said. "Our linebackers have c Nike Air Lunar Presto ontinued to do a tremendous job."



Sophomore linebacker Joe Izbicki came in for injured Sterling Curran during the game. Curran, a junior, is expected to play Friday.



"We have pretty good defensive depth and the kids are doing a tremendous job of playing good assignment football and being physical," Ralph said.



Columbus East has reached the semistate for the third consecutive year, losing to eventual 4A state champion Cathedral the past two seasons. The Irish have moved up to 5A.



"(The Olympians) are very well coached and they won't beat themselves," Ralph said.



New Palestine senior quarterback Blake Luker has completed 71 percent of his passes for 2,546 yards with 32 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Luker has rushed for 1,154 yards.



Junior running back James Young has a team high 1,204 yards. Young separated his shoulder in the fourth game of the season and was sidelined for two full games, then brought back slowly.



"He's been healthy for about a month and a half now," Ralph said. "You can see once he got back and healthy, his numbers have skyrocketed. He's done a great job being our featured back and taking a lot of pressure off Blake and the rest of our offense."



Brebeuf Banks leadsAaron Banks continues to grow in his role as Brebeuf Jesuit quarterback.



"At the very beginning of the season, I felt he was being overwhelmed at what we're trying to do," Braves coach Mic Roessler said. "With time, I feel he's gotten a lot better with it and been able to run it effectively."



Banks, a 6 4 junior, has completed 129 of 224 passes for 1,772 yards for the Class 3A No. 7 Braves (10 3), who host No. Saturday. Banks, who has 14 touchdown passes with seven interceptions, has run for 354 yards and nine touchdowns.



"He's done a phenomenal job taking the offense under his wing," Roessler said. "He's doing a nice job leading, changing (plays) at the line, checking and making sure we're in the right place."



Mr. Football fan fav: MirelesElwood running back Sammy Mireles, who set the state career rushing record this season, emerged with the most votes in the IndyStar Mr. Football fan poll. Mireles, who rushed for 2,719 yards this season, received in excess of 50,000 votes (38.4 percent) of the more than 131,000 cast. Speedway running back Justin Brent, a Notre Dame commit, placed second with 29.8 percent of the vote.



This vote was just for fun. The Indy Star Mr. Football award, which is decided by a panel of Indiana Football Coaches Association members, will be announced next month.



Carmel runners advanceThe Carmel boys and girls cross country teams were both victorious in the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) Midwest Regional at Terre Haute on Sunday. The Greyhounds captured state titles on the same course on Nov. 2. They will now compete Dec. 7 in the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore.



In the boys race, Ben Veatch was the top finisher for the Greyhounds in ninth, followed by Robert Browning (22nd) and Ben Anderson (23rd). Top finisher for the Carmel girls was Kelcy Welch in fourth. S nike tacy Morozov placed 12th and Gina Genco 21st. Avon's Malyka Abramson qualified for the national race by placing third.



Mt. Vernon Moore sidelinedMt. Vernon senior basketball player Erica Moore had surgery on her right knee earlier this month and is expected to be sidelined until mid January.



Moore, a Purdue recruit, had surgery on the same knee last December to repair meniscus damage. She returned to lead the Marauders to the 3A state title.



"We have three of our top six players out right now, so we have a lot of new faces trying to step up and help," Mt. Vernon coach Julie Shelton said in an email response to The Indianapolis Star.



In addition to Moore, Shelton said senior forward Maddie Walrod (back) and sophomoreforward Sadie Baugh (stress fracture) are expected to be sidelined for at least two more weeks.



Shelton said her niece, Sydney Shelton, is helping to pick up the load. Shelton, the team's leading scorer last season as a freshman, has scored 28 and 37 points in Mt. Vernon's two victories. Fitzgerald went on to star for Butler and Williams for Indiana State. .

New food on menu for Washington



Garoppolo, West, Daly lead AP FCS All America teamWardens lock down Loyola, 47 38Prep boys' basketball roundup: Spartans beat CMR from linePrep girls' basketball roundup: Gragg comes up big for Big SkyPrep wrestling roundup: Sentinel pins loss on Helena HighIdaho group sponsors youth wolf, coyote derbyTooth Fairy is walk in park over Elf on the ShelfGREG PATENT: Yule log a fun way to celebrate sweetness of seasonHoliday roast to love on its merits, not looksBirths for Wednesday, December 18Getting that second quarter hot dog at a University of Montana football game may be more rewarding this season, if not more filling.But when you reach the concession stand, there's a chance you may forgo the hot dog altogether. You might instead opt for a "Mammoth," a "Titan Twist" or a "Delaney Drumstick," named, of course, after the Grizzlies' new head football coach.With the University of Montana football season set to kick off Saturday against South Dakota, fans packing Washington Grizzly Stadium will e Nike Free 3.0 V4 njoy more food options than ever before.Whether it's a one third pound spicy andouille sausage made by Redneck Meat Production in Kalispell or a 2 pound pretzel topped with Cold Smoke beer cheese, spicy mustard or cinnamon honey butter, the food options will run longer than a goal to goal kickoff return."Every concession stand has new menu items in it this year," said Ian Waetje, UM's new concessions manager. "Football is 75 percent of our business. It allows us a chance to sample the market and see what's moving and what's not moving."UM Dining Services has been around for ages, feeding hungry students on campus while offering a limited menu of food items at football games, from the standard hot dog to that buttery box of popcorn.But when Donna Bauck took over as UM's new associate director of retail operations and Waetje moved up as the concessions manager, the two began working to reinvent stadium dining and raise the expectations of Grizzlies fans."I'm looking at the retail side of the university and what we can do to expand it," Bauck said. "You can look at our stadium as a challenge or an opportunity. You can't sit back and look at what you can't do, but rather at what you can do."With that in mind, Waetje traveled to various national conferences, observing concessions at other stadiums. Notre Dame may be the envy of the nation, he said, followed closely by the University of Oregon.Both programs are flush with cash and backed by wealthy sponsors, like Phil Knight, an Oregon native who co founded and chairs Nike. While UM can't compete with such programs, the larger venues did offer good ideas on how UM could improve its own culinary fare, from the new Delaney Drumstick a giant smoked turkey leg to gourmet nachos and sauces, like those reserved for the Titan Twist pretzel."I went to a conference and talked to some guys from Wisconsin," said Waetje. "I came back and had our executive chef fiddle with some stuff and came up with a real great product. The pretzels are fantastically delicious on their own, but having some unique and quality sauces to go with it will really help sell it."While the menu grows, more food "hawkers" will wander stadium seating this season to increase customer convenience. Also this year, the old hot dog rollers will vanish, replaced by new steamers to reduce food waste.And with conservation in mind, concession stands soon will offer 32 ounce souvenir cups for $5 each refillable throughout the season for $3. Waetje expects it to reduce landfill waste by about 18,000 paper cups per game. The Big Dipper ice cream shop won a contract to open several food stands inside Washington Grizzly Stadium, along with the Adams Center.The ice cream vendor will be joined by two Pizza Hut stands and a Wing Street booth. Other food options will include Natural Creations with its burritos and gourmet nachos, Smokejumper BBQ with its sandwiches and plates, and Thai Spicy and Grizzly Bean Espresso.Running concessions for nearly 30,000 people comes down to a science. Time and again, Waetje has seen the crowds converge at the ground level gate and its concessions located close to the tailgating zone.Offering several new items only at select concessions like the second deck of the north end zone marks an effort to disperse the crowd and boost the production of other food stands."As you move to the east side on the 200 level, we'll also have the new 'Grizzly Grotto,' " Waetje said. "It'll have two 55 inch game monitors this year and high top tables. In the warmer games, it's shaded, and in the winter, it's as protected as you can get a nike nd still be outside."Also this year, seven nonprofit groups from Missoula and UM will join a workforce of roughly 60 students to help run stadium concessions. The nonprofits get a slice of the sales by volunteering their time.This year, Waetje said, the groups will include the Missoula Christian Sports League, Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre and Relay for Life. On campus groups include the Kappa Sigma fraternity, the Equestrian Club and the Kappa Psi pharmaceutical fraternity."This has been a two year push," said Bauck. "Planning started last January by making contacts. You work really hard so that the month before, it's all about finalizing, getting the staffing and training done."