Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has been one of the more popular and exciting players in the National Football League, but his recent troubles involving his participation in a dog fighting ring has taken its toll. A recent Rasmussen Reports survey found that only 12% of adults now have a favorable opinion of him while 57% have an unfavorable impression.

Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on charges that he sponsored a dog fighting operation. Eighty-two percent (82%) of adults say this crime is at least somewhat serious.

Forty-four percent (44%) of Americans say they’ve been following the story at least somewhat closely. That’s up from 20% in early June.

As NFL training camps are set to open, 49% of Americans think that Vick should be suspended by the NFL immediately. Forty-one percent (41%) believe the league should wait for the judicial process to play out. Waiting could put Commissioner Roger Goodell in an awkward position, since he has already suspended Pacman Jones for the season before he was convicted of anything. Goodell has instituted a new get tough policy regarding the off the field behavior of NFL athletes. For now Goodell has ordered Vick not to report to the Falcons training camp until the league reviews the charges against him.

If he is suspended, 42% of adults believe Vick should be suspended for the season. Fourteen percent (14%) say he should be suspended for 1-4 games and another 9% think the suspension should be 4-8 games.

No matter what happens Vick has incurred the ire of dog lovers all over America and has cost himself millions of dollars in endorsements. Recently Nike decided to suspend the release of its latest product line named after the Falcons quarterback. The Humane Society of the United States issued a statement recently that called for Nike to remove all of the products with Vick’s name on them from stores and for the NFL to suspend Vick.

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