What's the deal, Roger?

NFL Commissioner (Judge, Jury and Executioner) Roger Goodell has spoken and Michael Vick has been (conditionally) reinstated to NFL-playerhood. Mr. Vick will be allowed to sign with a team and play in their final two preseason games but he will have to sit out at least the first five games of the regular season.

While Mr. Vick's conduct off the field may have been reprehensible, there are players on teams' rosters who did far worse. Mr. Vick gave up the richest contract in NFL history, was in federal custody for 23 months, lost two years in the prime of his career and had to declare bankruptcy.

This conditional reinstatement just adds insult to injury. How many teams are willing to take a chance on signing him without knowing for certain he'll be able to play in the upcoming season?

Mr. Vick paid a very steep price for his misdeeds and I daresay that 23 months under federal supervision trumps Donte Stallworth's 24 days in the county jail and probation for killing another person. Ray Lewis was present for the stabbing death of an individual in Atlanta - he was never punished by the NFL. Leonard Little was convicted twice of DWI -- including one case in which he killed someone. He was never punished by the NFL.

Why is Vick facing the ire of the commish? Is it because he lied when the commish asked him what was up with the hubbub in Virginia? Was it because he didn't admit to the commish that he was involved in the dog fighting operation? Hey, Goodell, wake up! You're an attorney and you know damn well that Vick's attorneys would have (or at least should have) told him not to admit to anything.