Steve Silverman

Piling on. It’s one of America’s favorite pastimes.

In many ways, we can be a nation of sharks. Smell a little blood in the water and watch the feeding frenzy begin.

The Duke lacrosse team knows all about it. Three Duke athletes — Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans — were on the wrong end of controversial charges and bad publicity. Overzealous prosecutor Mike Nifong brought an indictment against the players because he backed the claims of a troubled dancer.

The players were exonerated and Nifong was disbarred. The truth won out.

Now the sharks are circling Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Authorities are investigating charges that he is involved in dogfighting. A house Vick owns in Virginia was raided by authorities April 25 and 66 dogs were seized. Many of them were pit bulls and quite a bit of equipment associated with dogfighting was found.

Vick said he rarely has been to that residence and was unaware of any illegal activity. He had allowed relatives to live at the house and they had taken advantage of his generosity.

At least that’s his story.

It may seem beyond the edge of credibility to most reasonable observers, but Vick has not yet been charged with a crime and is a long way from being convicted of any charge. Vick may not be a choir boy and has been put on commissioner Roger Goodell’s watch list and the two met in late April for a private discussion. Presumably, Goodell let Vick know his activities were being monitored by a league that has grown quite paranoid about its image.

But Goodell has not issued any suspension and Vick will be allowed to play this season barring further developments. The league is waiting for incontrovertible evidence of Vick’s involvement in this sickening activity before imposing any consequences.

Superstar quarterbacks also make a lot of money off the field and Vick is no exception. His exceptional physical skills have allowed him to sign a lucrative shoe contract with Nike. Like any business deal, it is one that is mutually beneficial to the company and to Vick. But Nike is dependent on the public accepting its celebrity endorsers or the product will not be successful. Bad publicity is usually bad for business. The association with a potential heavyweight in the dogfighting community cannot bring any comfort in the Nike boardroom.

But Nike has not dropped the other shoe. They are not backing away from Vick even though pressure is being brought to bear by the Humane Society of America.

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