You likely know by now that Atlanta Falcons QB Mike Vick has been indicted in a federal dog fighting probe. I know that everyone from newspaper columnists to radio talk show hosts are weighing in on this topic, but as someone who has been in the public relations profession for the past 15 years, please allow me to raise a few points you may not be hearing elsewhere.

As I've said many times during our "Caught in the Crosslights" segment on Sports Business Radio (highlights the PR nightmare of the week in the world of sports), there is the court of LAW and the court of PUBLIC OPINION. Obviously the court of law dictates whether or not you retain your freedom or you serve time behind bars. The court of public opinion, especially in the case of celebrities, often times dictates how you will earn your living.....and how the league, team and sponsors you represent are able to cash in on your image with the public.

In the case of Mike Vick and this federal dog fighting probe, several graphic images have emerged from the document released yesterday. These images will be very difficult for the public to wipe away from their memories.....even if it is later proved that Vick knew nothing of these gruesome crimes. The federal document released yesterday reveals that eight young dogs were put to death at the Surry County home owned by Vick after they were found not ready to fight in April 2007. The dogs were killed "by hanging, drowning and/or slamming at least one dog's body to the ground." The document also reveals that dogs were electrocuted and shot in the head.

In western civilization, if you harm women, children or animals......epecially in the gruesome manner described above, you can pretty much kiss your good standing with the public goodbye.

Now I know everyone is innocent until proven guilty........in the court of law. Mike Vick and his lawyers will have the opportunity to prove the feds wrong. Which by the way, won't be easy. You see, the feds have about a 95% success rate and could call their first witness the day after an indictment. These people are on top of things and have all of their ducks in a row. Their cases are usually airtight. This is NOT the Duke lacrosse case where a local lawyer who was a political wannabe (Mike Nifong) put together a case built with on a house of toothpicks. The feds lose about as often as USC's football team.......not very often.

But in the court of public opinion, where people like you and me are hearing about the heinous acts reportedly committed by Vick and his "Bad Newz Kennel" partners, isn't Vick's image beyond immediate repair at this point? In a best case scenario, Vick's lawyers will prove that he funded this dog fighting ring,  but that he knew nothing about the way these dogs were mutilated. He was simply the money behind several low life associates of his.

In the worst case scenario, Vick will serve jail time for his crimes and his NFL career will all but become extinct. One of the faces of the NFL, a player with a ton of promise and potential, will be seen as nothing more than a common criminal.

So here's my question. If you are Roger Goodell at the NFL, Arthur Blank with the Atlanta Falcons and Nike, Vick's largest endorser, what are you going to do following yesterday's indictment?

The NFL released this statment after yesterday's indictment:

"We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him. The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal. Michael Vick's guilt has not yet been proven, and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts."

The Atlanta Falcons released this statement:

"This situation has been troubling to many people, including our fans, during the last few months.  With today’s news, our club and team will continue to be tested as Michael works through the legal process toward a conclusion. We are disappointed that one of our players – and therefore the Falcons – is being presented to the public in a negative way, and we apologize to our fans and the community for that. Obviously, we are disturbed by today’s news from Virginia.  However, we are prepared to deal with it, and we will do the right thing for our club as the legal process plays out.  We have a season to prepare for and training camp opens next week.  Our plan is to continue to do everything we can to support our players and coaches."

Nike released this statement:

"There is no change in the status of the agreement between Nike and football player Michael Vick; he is rightfully presumed innocent and afforded the same due process as any citizen, rather than be tried in the court of public opinion. Nike will continue to monitor the situation, but has nothing further to say at this time."

I'm no lawyer, but its clear that the NFL, the Falcons and Nike are playing this one by the letter of the law. Chances are, their legal counsel is advising them that this is the best course of action for the time being.

But make no mistake, the court of public opinion has already issued their judgement on this one and they'll continue to make their point in the coming months. How? You watch how fast the public boycotts anything having to do with Mike Vick. Will it hurt Mike Vick in the short term? Nope.

Will Vick's poor standiing with the public hurt the NFL, the Falcons and Nike? Yes. People will speak by not spending money on anything tied to Vick. That's how the public will make their statement. And then, just maybe, when Vick's poor standing with consumers starts to affect the bottom line of the league in which he plays, the team for which he plays and the company for which he peddles product, will you see these three entities take action.

What would I do? If I were Falcons owner Arthur Blank, I would waive Vick by the end of today. Back in 2004, Vick signed a 10-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons worth $130 million with a $37 million signing bonus, making him the highest paid player in NFL history. If Arthur Blank (founder of Home Depot) is as image conscious as he says he is, he sends Vick packing and as far away from his NFL franchise as possible. Think about it. Vick is going to be involved in legal proceedings now for at least the next year. Every time Vick's name is mentioned in the news, he'll be tied to the Falcons. Does Arthur Blank really want that? I wouldn't. NFL contracts aren't guaranteed, so Blank should save himself the misery of paying Vick a ridiculous amount of money for the next 6 years and be done with him. He's not worth the headache and he's certainly not worth $13M a year. Vick has repeatedly shown poor judgement and its not going to get any better in the future. Not what you need from the face of your franchise.

Blank waiving Vick would also be a huge favor to the NFL and league commissioner Roger Goodell as it would save Goodell from having to have to take action against Vick. There will be many players who stand up and cry "foul" if Goodell were to suspend Vick before he is convicted. Especially since Vick is not a repeat offender of the misconduct policy  - as Pacman Jones and Chris Henry were before receiving their suspensions fom the NFL.

As for Nike, they can stand by Vick as long as they want. But I can tell you this, they had better gear their NFL campaign towards LaDainian Tomlinson or one of their other athlete endorsers - and remove Vick from any future campaigns. If they are expecting to move any Vick product any time soon, they're crazy. They should pull that product off the shelves today.

Nike stood by Kobe Bryant when he was in the midst of his legal mess, but Kobe's mess wasn't as deep as Vick's in my opinion. First and most important, Kobe was tried on the state level. Vick is dealing with the feds and there is a mountain of evidence against him. Kobe was able to rebuild his image over the course of the last few years and has become marketable once again.

Unless we find that the feds are completely off the mark and that Vick has been wrongly accused of the crimes he's being indicted for, I don't see Vick ever rebuilding his image to the point where a company would want to hire him. He's done.

We'll discuss this in more detail on this weekend's edition of Sports Business Radio.