Vick suspension without a legal charge? Not bloody likely

It's not Pacman Jones, Chris Henry or Tank Johnson who could define NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's tenure as league disciplinarian. It's Michael Vick.

The Atlanta quarterback is the face of the Falcons franchise -- the club's highest-paid, best-known and, until recently, most marketable player. But he's also the face of the NFL, on stage at this year's draft when the league honored Vick's alma mater, Virginia Tech.

Michael Vick might walk away from his latest flap unscathed. (Getty Images)

Vick's name has cachet, which means the NFL has more than a passing interest in what happens to him. But its interest in Vick now centers on an alleged dogfighting ring at a Virginia home Vick owned, and what, if any, involvement Vick had with it.

If there's a direct connection, Vick is cooked. Dogfighting is a felony in Virginia, punishable by up to five years in prison, which means state authorities -- not Goodell -- would be Vick's immediate concern.

But what if there isn't a direct connection? What if there is little more than suspicion, accusations and innuendo? Well, then we have a delicate case for the commissioner.

Essentially, he would be asked to weigh in on the case of someone who seems to be spinning out of control yet hasn't committed a crime. It was Vick who was stopped at a Miami airport when authorities there seized a water bottle that contained a suspicious substance.

The case was dropped when lab tests revealed no evidence of drugs.

And it was Vick who blew off U.S. congressmen when he was scheduled to meet with them to lobby for increased funding for after-care school programs. Vick explained that a delayed flight caused him to miss a connection, but an airline spokesman said Vick skipped a later flight on which he was booked.

Now Vick is in the middle of a dogfighting controversy, and this time the repercussions could be serious -- with California congressman Tom Lantos demanding that Goodell act "swiftly and forcefully" if Vick is involved.

Trust me, Goodell will, if Vick is involved. But he is not. Not yet anyway, despite numerous reports linking him to dogfighting.

So what happens if he's not charged, and authorities are unable to make a direct connection between him and a dogfighting ring? Then Goodell has a choice: He can issue another warning or deliver a body blow with a suspension.

"I don't see how he could do anything," said an AFC general manager. "What's Vick been charged with? Nothing. So you're going to tell me you pop someone just because of 'suspicious' behavior? If that's the case, then we all have a problem."

The guy has a point. If Vick is guilty of anything at this juncture it's poor judgment and irresponsibility, and that's not exactly a compelling case for suspension. But this is not only about breaking the law; this is about violating the league's personal conduct code, and that is where it could get interesting.