The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback served his time on dog-fighting charges and has nearly made good on his financial obligations, but
Michael Vick is still viewed as the NFL's most disliked player according to a list released by Forbes.
Vick, four years removed from his stint in federal prison and has regained his position as one of the league's top signal-callers, topped a list based on an E-Score survey of 1,100 people age 13and up, done by E-Poll Market Research.
Forbes reported that while Vick tended to score better with fans that follow the NFL closely, casual fans still identify him mostly with the dog-fighting scandal. Forbes noted that despite his comeback and endorsement deal with Nike, a chart-topping 53 percent of respondents expressed dislike for him.
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"It’s been more than four years since Vick was released from federal prison, where he served 19 months for bankrolling the dog-fighting operation," bemoaned Brandon Lee Gowton from Eagles fan site
BleedingGreenNation.com. "He’s performed well and avoided trouble ever since. Yet he is still stuck at or near the top of our various annual lists of disliked athletes."
Manti Te'o, the former Notre Dame linebacker who was "catfished" in a bizarre fake girlfriend incident last season, was listed second on the list with a 48 percent negative response, according to Forbes. Te'o is a rookie linebacker with the San Diego Chargers.
"I think this will stay with (Te'o) until he gets the chance to prove them wrong," said E-Poll chief executive Gerry Philpott.
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, who has been fined by the NFL honchos for alleged cheap shots against opposing players, seems to have well deserved 43 percent negative response that places him third on the list.
"Suh's inclusion isn't a surprise," said Kevin Meinke, of
MLive.com. "He's developed a reputation as the league's dirtiest players, according to several player polls over the past few years, and set an NFL record this year with a $100,000 fine for a questionable hit on Minnesota's John Sullivan."
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Others players who made the top 10 list, according to Forbes, includes Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (40 percent); Mark Sanchez, New York Jets (40 percent); Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (33 percent); Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (32 percent); Tom Brady, New England Patriots (25 percent); Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals (24 percent); and Reggie Bush, Detroit Lions (22 percent).
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