NFL Sacks Report of Vick Suspension

Vick, the NFL's highest-paid player and previously a mainstream marketing success, promptly had sponsorship and marketing deals suspended: Reebok pulled his No. 7 jersey from the shelves, Upper Deck stripped his card from football card sets, and Rawlings cancelled his endorsement deal.

Team owner Arthur Black, while not announcing any decisions, has left the door open to severing ties with Vick.

The final decision of the NFL, which already asked Vick to stay out of training camp, isn't a straightforward one. While Goodell has quickly gained a reputation for cracking down on the league's discipline problems, there's a distinction in the Vick case that has made acting on a suspension difficult.

Adam "Pacman" Jones of the Tennessee Titans was ordered to sit out for the entire season for off-field run-ins with the law. But Jones -- who has been arrested at least five times and questioned by police more than that -- has a criminal record. Vick simply stands accused. The Jones suspension will be reviewed after 10 regular season games.

The case against Vick includes possible gambling involvement that may trigger league suspension without a conviction on the charges. Goodell will also look at whether Vick may have told him things about the indictment that were untrue.

"Now I have to compare that to the facts as best I can," Goodell told USA Today last week, "and try to understand, 'Is this accurate what he told me? Is it inaccurate?'"

Vick, claiming ignorance of the allegations, blamed his cousin when the Virginia house he owned was raided and the main evidence that would lead to the dogfighting indictment -- including several dozen animals, some injured and others scarred -- was first uncovered.