Report: Air Tran dumps Michael Vick

ATLANTA, June 1 (UPI) -- Air Tran Airways has severed its ties to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who is the subject of illegal dogfighting allegations in Virginia.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday the airline will not renew its deal with Vick, which expired May 8.

"We decided to go in another direction," Air Tran spokesman Tad Hutcheson told the newspaper. "We still have a lot of football endorsers like Warrick Dunn and Brian Finneran. (Colts quarterback) Peyton Manning endorses us in Indianapolis. Our football ads typically start in August, and we're assessing our needs at the moment."

Vick owned a house in Surry County, Va., where authorities said pit bulls were being bred for fighting. He has been called a "heavyweight" in the world of dog fighting and some informants claim to have tape showing him betting hat a dogfight before he was drafted in 2000.

Vick has consistently denied any involvement or betting.