NEW YORK -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is likely to hold off on making an immediate decision on how to discipline Michael Vick.
Goodell could rule by the end of the week, but will probably wait until the Atlanta Falcons quarterback enters a guilty plea Monday in Richmond, Va., to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges.
The NFL has said it wants information on Vick's involvement in dogfighting and is waiting for a report by its own observers, a group headed by Eric Holder a former deputy U.S. attorney general.
"The commissioner has not decided on a specific timetable on Michael Vick's status," league spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday.
Vick has been barred from training camp by the NFL. Goodell has asked the Falcons not to take any action until the league rules.
Goodell has leeway to issue a suspension under his personal conduct policy. While the NFL hasn't said whether a potential suspension would be concurrent with Vick's prison sentence -- expected to be at least a year -- it is more likely that it would take effect once he is released from custody.
That would mean Vick would likely miss both the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
Atlanta owner Arthur Blank, who has expressed his dismay at Vick's actions, may try to release him. Or the Falcons could keep him on the roster while attempting to get back some or all of his $22 million signing bonus.
The league suspension could be indefinite or conditional. The penalty Goodell imposed on Tennessee's Adam "Pacman" Jones was a one-year suspension, with the possibility of having it reduced to 10 games if he met certain behavioral standards.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
