Suspended NFL player Michael Vick is still causing controversy even while locked up in a federal prison for a dogfighting conviction. The former quarterback recently appeared on the face of a Happy Meal box at a McDonald's in Hollywood, California.
A TMZ employee said she ordered a Happy Meal from an L. A. McDonald's restaurant Wednesday and the box she received promoted one-time Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick.
TMZ executive producer Charles Latibeaudiere tells a local Atlanta news station, he was surprised to see a convicted felon associated with Happy Meals that are normally distributed to kids, and called McDonald's for an explanation about the box. Underneath, the box was stamped with a 2004 copyright, and also featured NBA player Vince Carter wearing a Toronto Raptors jersey (his former team), and U.S. soccer player Mia Hamm.
It reportedly took five hours for a McDonald's representative to respond, who was also shocked that a four-year-old Happy Meal container had surfaced and was being passed out to patrons. TMZ says that McDonald's apologized for the inconvenience it may have caused to parents and regulars that frequent the popular fast food chain.
The statement reads: "We apologize for any confusion caused by the inadvertent distribution of a Happy Meal box that is four years old. As your web site pointed out, this Happy Meal box is from 2004, so it does not reflect any current partnership with Michael Vick. We take the messages we share with our younger customers seriously, and have since corrected this isolated incident."
