Michael Vick, sidelined from pro football for two years after a dogfighting scandal, has received a conditional reinstatement from the NFL, clearing the way for him to return this season.
But a question remains: Which team is ready to step up and sign the disgraced quarterback?
That's the next step after Monday's news that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has lifted the indefinite suspension of Vick in hopes of granting him full reinstatement by Week 6 at the latest, and possibly earlier.
"I have thought about every alternative," Goodell said in a conference call.
"But I think this gives him the best chance for success. We are not looking for a failure here, we are looking to see a young man succeed."
The announcement came a week after Vick completed his federal sentence, which lasted 20 months with the first 18 in prison and the last two under home confinement in Hampton, Va.
Vick, 29, once among the richest and most recognizable players in the game, has been courted by the start-up United Football League but, at least publicly, has yet to attract interest from NFL suitors.
"There are two ways of looking at it," said an NFL team personnel executive who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect the interests of his franchise. "You're going to get a guy for minimum [salary] who was one of the highest-paid players in the league . . . But there's also so much to deal with during the season. To have to deal with that distraction is a nightmare."
Exactly what that distraction would entail is unclear. Two years ago, Vick and the Atlanta Falcons were the focus of national scorn and massive protests by animal-rights activists. Although he initially denied any involvement in dogfighting, Vick eventually admitted to killing under-performing animals in various ways, including drowning, hanging, electrocution and slamming their bodies to the ground.
In recent months, Vick met in prison and in his home with Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States. Pacelle said Vick has made a commitment to participate in the group's anti-dogfighting campaign, although the public appearances part of that commitment has been delayed because the conditions of Vick's parole limit his ability to travel. (Those restrictions are not as rigid when they concern Vick pursuing his career.)
