Vick's woes could hurt Falcons

ATLANTA: The troubles of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of dogfighting, could hurt the team both on and off the field, analysts said.

The National Football League last week suspended Vick indefinitely without pay following the indictment, so the Falcons will play this season without its star performer.

Reserve quarterback Joey Harrington is due to start in a pre-season game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Atlanta on Monday.

"The question is will Harrington be able to step up enough to negate the effects of Vick's absence," Atlanta-based criminal lawyer and Falcons fan Darryl Cohen told Reuters.

Vick will be sentenced December 10 and faces a maximum of five years in prison. Under terms of the plea deal, prosecutors have requested a 12- to 18-month sentence.

In the short term, the suspension will not affect 2007-2008 season ticket sales, which were the highest in the team's 45-year history, Falcons owner Arthur Blank told a news conference.

But if the Falcons perform poorly this season in Vick's absence, it could affect the team's long-term finances, analysts said.

The Falcons said they were determined to "move on" from the scandal surrounding Vick.

"I recognize that this situation has tarnished our team and our brand. We have heard from fans who are embarrassed to wear a No 1 jersey now," said Blank, referring to the jersey with Vick's number on it.

"We can and we will recover from this. We spent the last five years building goodwill and strong, loyal relationships within this community," he said.

Vick's suspension would save the Falcons about $6 million per year out of the total amount the team had allocated to spend on players' salaries, Falcons general manager Rich McKay said.

He said the franchise would also explore ways of recouping bonuses Vick was paid and any money recovered would be put toward next year's salary cap.

Commentators said the bonuses, which could only be recouped if Vick remains on the team's roster, could potentially amount to $22 million.

"We feel very comfortable that we'll have plenty of room going forward to field a competitive team," McKay said. "We don't at all feel we're in a box or a bad situation," he said.

Blank, the co-founder of the Home Depot \ chain, bought the Falcons in 2002.

Agencies

(China Daily 08/29/2007 page23)