National Football League

Report: Vick event sparks backlash

Published May. 26, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

A seemingly innocuous visit from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick caused such a backlash for a Toyota dealership in Henderson, Nev., that it was forced to shut down the promotional page on its website.

Vick, who was convicted of dogfighting charges in 2007, was in town for a youth football camp and stopped by the dealership to sign autographs and meet with fans Friday night, the Las Vegas Sun reported Saturday.

But after the dealership posted pictures of Vick's appearance on its website, angry comments started flying in.

One commenter described Vick as a "dog killer," while another threatened to beat him up.

Others said they would boycott the dealership for sponsoring Vick for promotional and charity events.

The dealership was initially just deleting comments but eventually had to shut down the page.

"We're just trying to do something right for the kids and people just forget about that," said Stephanie Bernas, marketing manager and social media director for the dealership.