Black And White Issue: Vick’s New Cleats Not Flagged By NFL

Nike To Unveil New Version Of “Zoom Vick II” Before Pro Bowl

Nike “plans to come out with a new version” of Falcons QB Michael Vick’s Air Zoom Vick II shoe shortly before he plays in the Pro Bowl, according to Steve Wyche of the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION. While Vick made a mid-season change to the current Air Zoom Vick II, going from a black with red accented cleat to a black with white patch cleat “designed to coincide with” the shoe’s release, the [NFL] did not “bend its rules to accommodate” Vick. League guidelines state that a player’s shoe must be “primarily black or white depending on which color shoes the team decides to wear before the season.” Color accents “are allowed, as long as they match uniform colors. Other markings, such as the shoe manufacturer’s logo, have to be approved.” NFL Senior Manager of Consumer Products & Compliance Merton Hanks noted that Nike during the preseason put “Vick” on the back of Vick’s cleat, but the NFL “flagged the violation and forced the company to modify the shoe to conform.” A replica gym shoe of the Air Zoom Vick II retails for $120 a pair (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 1/14).