NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to announce this week when Eagles quarterback Michael Vick will be permitted to play during the regular season. Shortly after Vick was released from federal prison, after 18 months on dogfighting charges, the commissioner conditionally reinstated Vick. That allowed Vick to play in the final two preseason games. His upcoming decision will determine when the speedy lefty is back for good. Earlier, Goodell said he might not permit Vick back until the sixth game of the regular season, which means that the Philadelphia Eagles would be compelled to put him on the exempt list. This would preclude Vick from practicing and thus retard his flow back into productive, full-time pro football. The Philadelphia Eagles, which must cut its roster to 53 players by Saturday evening, say it is imperative to know when Vick will be allowed back. The team signed the former Atlanta Falcon to a two-year contract, worth close to $7 million. However, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello denied ESPN reports that the commissioner would decide this week. “I don’t know when the commissioner will make his decision,” Aiello said. “He hasn’t told me yet.” Vick will play in tonight’s final exhibition game, against the New York Jets, at Giants Stadium.

While the NFL proved Thursday that it can be a place for second chances, it also showed a chilly side for mercy-seekers who break the law. Michael Vick is now back in the league after 18 months in prison for his dogfighting transgressions. But Commissioner Roger Goodell issued strong words for Cleveland Browns’ wideout Donte Stallworth, who pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter and served 24 days in jail for a drunken driving accident that left a 59-year-old Florida pedestrian dead. Goodell said the 28-year-old speedster broke the league’s substance-abuse and personal-conduct rules. “In that respect, you are clearly guilty of conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the NFL,” Goodell said. “Despite a repeated emphasis on the importance of avoiding driving under the influence of alcohol, you chose to drive under circumstances where you were legally impaired. Your conduct endangered yourself and others, leading to the death of an innocent man. The NFL and NFL players must live with the stain that you have placed on their reputations.” But Stallworth, whose blood-alcohol level was .126, much higher than the Florida state limit of .08, implored the public to forgive him. “I urge NFL fans not to judge NFL players or me based on my tragic lapse in judgment,” Stallworth said in a statement. “I am a good person who did a bad thing. I will use the period of my suspension to reflect, fulfill my obligations, and use this experience to make a positive impact on the lives of those who look up to NFL players.” He will forfeit his entire $745,000 salary this season.

Eagles’ Defensive Coach Dies
Jim Johnson, the defensive general for the Philadelphia Eagles who led his team to one Super Bowl and five NFC title games, has died. He was 68. Johnson, who had been an NFL assistant coach for some 22 years, succumbed to cancer in his spine. The Eagles announced his death Tuesday afternoon, The Associated Press reports. Johnson had been on a leave of absence since May. “For 10 years, Jim Johnson was an exceptional coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, but more importantly, he was an outstanding human being,” said Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie. “As an integral part of the Eagles family, Jim epitomized the traits of what a great coach should be — a teacher, a leader, and a winner… It was easy to feel close to him.” Johnson was a defensive demon, known for his quick, blitzing defenses. From 2000-08, Johnson’s Philadelphia defenses ranked second in the NFL in sacks (390). During his 10-year tenure, the Eagles made the playoffs seven times and he produced 26 Pro Bowl selections, according to AP.

Will Michael Vick Find a Team
Disgraced NFL quarterback Michael Vick might be allowed to play pro football again, but so far nobody seems interested. Perhaps squads are merely waiting until the fervor dies down, but the frenzy over the speedy, former ball-slinger for the Atlanta Falcons is nonexistent. At the time Vick was convicted for financing a dogfighting operation in Virginia, he was the highest-paid player in the league. Today, he’s scrambling for a job. “We’ve had long discussions about Michael Vick and we have a feeling about how he would impact our team and not impact our team,” Baltimore Ravens Coach John Harbaugh said, acknowledging that he has considered Vick’s services. But Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens’ general manager, said his team has enough quarterbacks. Last week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with Vick and said that he can immediately take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games. But that is contingent on him finding a team who wants him.

Terrell Owens, who knows firsthand what it’s like to be kicked to the curb, is lobbying hard to get recently released Michael Vick reinstated in the league. Owens, now a member of the Buffalo Bills after failing to catch on in Philadelphia and Dallas, said that slapping Vick with a four-game suspension after he’s already lost two years on a dogfighting rap is like “kicking a dead horse.” Owens, never one to shy away from speaking his mind, said that Commissioner Roger Goodell’s handling of Vick’s case seems “unfair.” Said Owens, “I think he’s done the time for what he’s done. I don’t think it’s really fair for him to be suspended four more games. It’s almost like kicking a dead horse in the ground. … The guy’s already suffered so much. And to add a four-game suspension on a two-year prison sentence, that’s ridiculous.” Vick met with Goodell last week. While reports have surfaced that the commissioner will suspend the former Atlanta Falcon quarterback for four games, nothing officials has been announced.  In August 2007, the league suspended Vick indefinitely after he admitted financing an illegal dogfighting operation. He spent the past 23 months in the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, and is now on three years probation.

It looks like recently released NFL quarterback Michael Vick will be back in professional football before long.  League Commissioner Roger Goodell, who reportedly met with Vick on Wednesday, will allow the former superstar back into the NFL after he serves a four-game suspension, ESPN is reporting. Vick has just spent the past two years in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. However, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press Thursday that the commissioner has not yet made a decision on Vick’s future. “This is a serious matter,” Aiello said. “We are engaging in a careful and thoughtful process.” Vick was formerly the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, but the team released him during the offseason. This means that Vick is free to sign with another team. Vick’s skills as a slashing runner with good hands make him a coveted candidate for a number of teams needing a quarterback – or, perhaps, a wideout, or halfback capable of running a pass-option play. Vick met with NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith on Tuesday. Meanwhile, as reported Thursday, PETA, the animal rights group, is pressing for Goodell to deny Vick re-entry into the league until the baller passes a psychological evaluation. “Until a determination is made about his ability to feel empathy and contrition, the NFL would be acting irresponsibly if it offered Vick the opportunity to serve as a role model for millions of young children who look up to football players,” read part of the PETA statement. “PETA will not rule out targeting any team or league that may choose to associate itself with Vick.”

Marshawn Lynch Awaits his Punishment
Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is waiting to see how the NFL will punish him for getting caught with a loaded 9-mm handgun in his backpack last month. Police in the Los Angeles-area community of Culver City found the weapon after searching a car carrying the 22-year-old football star. Lynch pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and three year’s probation. Even though police also found a small amount of marijuana, prosecutors did not file drug charges. Under league personal conduct policies, Lynch also faces possible fines and suspension from games without pay. “I am embarrassed by my recent arrest and conviction. I deeply regret that I placed myself in this situation,” the Bills’ 2007 first-round draft pick said in an apology. This is the player’s second confrontation with the law over the past year. In June, he pleaded guilty to a traffic violation and hit and run near downtown Buffalo last May. This is likely to weigh in on the decision by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.