Stephanie Klein-Davis | The Roanoke Times

B&C Sports at Valley View Mall in Roanoke is selling Michael Vick's Philadelphia Eagles' No. 7 jersey.

Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times

Darrick Kasey checks to see what a friend thinks of the Michael Vick jersey at B&C Sports. Kasey decided to buy the jersey.

Ernest Daniel's vacation in Myrtle Beach, S.C., was interrupted last month by big news in the football world.

Michael Vick had signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Immediately, Daniel called his son, who was manning the family's Lynchburg sports store, B&C Sports.

The calls began flying between Adidas, which owns Reebok, and B&C. The sports shop ordered nearly 100 green jerseys, adorned with Michael Vick's name and No. 7, to be sold at its stores in Roanoke, Lynchburg and Christiansburg.

Daniel didn't hesitate to ramp up jersey orders for this former Virginia Tech quarterback whose return to the National Football League follows 18 months in federal prison for a felony conspiracy conviction in connection with running an illegal dogfighting operation.

After all, there are local Hokie fans who still are loyal to Vick, he said. That demand is proving true.

"We've got a problem now just restocking on Vick jerseys," Daniel said. "We're already out of some sizes."

To sell or not to sell Vick's jersey -- sports retailers nationwide and in the Roanoke area are facing this decision this fall, just as most of the NFL's regular season games start today, including the Eagles opener. Vick has been cleared to play starting Sept. 27.

Vick's return to the NFL has sparked much controversy, from animal rights groups to some fans who question whether he should be allowed to return to the game. Vick's career with the Atlanta Falcon's ended in 2007 after his conviction.

Still, early sales point to strong demand for Vick's jersey, though he's only played in a few preseason games for the Eagles. Some local sports fans say they're ready to root for Vick again, because they believe he deserves a second chance. And many of the same Roanoke Valley stores that pulled all Vick merchandise from shelves in 2007 are bringing it back with vigor.

Vick's No. 7 jersey ranked fourth in sales at NFLshop.com, from April through Aug. 28, the most recent data available, behind the Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Polamalu at No. 3 and ahead of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, at No. 5. Brett Favre's Minnesota Vikings jersey was the top seller.

The NFL shop sells Vick's jersey in white, green and black. It's clearly capitalizing on Vick's winning potential. The online shop is even selling jerseys for dogs that can be customized with Vick's name and number.

Roanoke resident Jeremy Blair, who has followed Vick since he played for Virginia Tech, rushed out to buy Vick's Eagles jersey the second day that it was available in stores. For about $85, Blair purchased the replica green jersey at Hibbett Sports at Valley View Mall.

"I was waiting for this day to come," said Blair, who also has Vick's Virginia Tech and Atlanta Falcon jerseys. "He deserved what he got. People [need to] leave him alone and let him make his life right."

To be sure, it's risky for sports retailers to sell garb for a specific athlete. A season-ending injury, poor performance or controversy surrounding a particular player can halt sales quickly.

Even so, redemption is the attitude of some local sports memorabilia shops. As soon as Vick was released from prison this year, Jason Jones, owner of 4-Sports Memorabilia at Tanglewood Mall, took out of storage the player's autographed mini helmets and posters from his Virginia Tech days. In 2007, Jones took this same merchandise off shelves after Vick was convicted of the dogfighting charges.

Jones also is selling Vick's Eagles jersey and T-shirts. He said most shoppers have had a positive reaction to seeing the merchandise.

Daniel of B&C Sports said he's being cautious about how much Vick merchandise to sell early on. He's sticking with the replica jerseys for now, and he's already ordered a batch of premier Vick jerseys, made with stitched letters.

"If he comes out and does well, we'll get the T-shirts," Daniel said.

It's best for retailers to be cautious about selling Vick merchandise, said Mark Nagel, a professor in the sports and entertainment management department at the University of South Carolina. Not only will Vick's performance on the field be a key to sales of his jerseys and other products, but consumers need to perceive that he is remorseful and trying to change his life, Nagel said.

One national retailer, Dick's Sporting Goods, is not selling Vick's jersey in its Philadelphia stores or on its Web site, because "we have not heard any demand whatsoever from our customers that they want to buy it," said Jeff Hennion, a Dick's spokesman. "It has nothing at all to do with his personal situation."

If Dick's hears from more customers who want to buy Vick's jerseys, the chain will carry them, Hennion said.

It's unclear why the jersey is unavailable on Dick's Web site, alongside those for Minnesota's Favre and the Dallas Cowboys' Jason Witten.

Even a loyal Cowboys fan, Mike Christian of Roanoke, said that he supports Vick and thinks stores should sell his jersey. Christian, who was shopping at B&C Sports recently, said he followed Vick when he played for Virginia Tech, and he still has Vick's No. 7 Hokies jersey.

"He was fun to watch," Christian said. "Let him redeem himself."