 During his time in Atlanta, he led the Falcons to the playoffs, and picked up his first new endorsement deal with Unequal Technologies, who makes shoulder pads for the NFL and its players.In December 2009, "Sports Illustrated" named Michael Vick and the dog fighting investigation as one of the top 10 sports news stories of the decade of the 2000s.In the following several months, various media sources revealed that Vick has close ties and business relationships with three other men who are apparently not his relatives, but were involved with the Surry County property and/or his activities with pit bulls prior to April 25.