Despite his clean record during the past four years and numerous apologies for his role in a dog fighting ring, Michael Vick cannot seem to make his way into the good graces of football fans.
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback once again topped Forbes' list of the most disliked NFL players. More than half of the poll's 1,100 respondents indicated that they disliked Vick. Pollsters told Forbes that while Vick has regained his standing with hardcore NFL followers, many casual NFL fans still do not like him.
While Vick is no stranger to "most disliked athlete" lists -- he's even been voted one of the most disliked athletes in the country -- the second-place finisher in this year's poll is a newcomer to the league.
San Diego Chargers rookie linebacker Manti Te'o, who was at the center of a bizarre fake girlfriend scandal earlier this year, comes in at second place on Forbes' list. A foot injury forced Te'o to miss the first few games of his NFL career, and many people think that once he has the chance to divert attention to his on-field play, his favorability ratings will rise.
After Vick and Te'o is Ndamukong Suh, the Detroit Lions defensive lineman who is known for his questionable hits. Suh has already been fined twice in 2013, and his seven career fines have set him back $209,000.
Suh is followed by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, against whom sexual assault allegations were levied but charges were never filed. Rounding out the top five is backup New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, who has never had legal issues but is perhaps a victim of his poor on-field play.
Last week Forbes released a list of the most liked NFL players, with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees topping the list.
