Sources: Goodell, Vick met in New Jersey on Wednesday
According to multiple sources, the long-anticipated meeting between NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and suspended quarterback Michael Vick occurred on Wednesday afternoon at a small security firm in Allendale, N.J., where both men were seen leaving the premises separately.
Goodell earlier this week said he planned to rule on Vick's possible re-instatement to the NFL "sometime in the near future,'' but refused to specify any timetable. Both men were seen leaving the office of Buckley Petersen Global Inc. about 4 p.m. on Wednesday, one of the sources told SI.com. Multiple people in the surrounding area watched Vick and Goodell leave, the source said.
Contacted Thursday afternoon, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined to confirm or deny that Goodell and Vick met Wednesday saying, "We've been consistent about that throughout this process. We're not responding to any of the questions surrounding the review. Once a decision is made by the commissioner, then we'll make a statement.''
According to an eyewitness, Vick left the two-story office of Buckley Petersen Global Inc. first, hopping into a Cadillac Escalade with an entourage described as "huge.'' About 10 minutes later, Goodell was seen leaving the building and departing in a BMW that he was not driving. Vick was described as looking rather somber after the meeting, as was Goodell.
Vick served 23 months on a dogfighting conviction, but was released from home confinement on Monday, ending his sentence. With the majority of NFL training camps opening next week, Vick is hoping to have his league suspension lifted and then find a new team willing to sign him. But Goodell has said that before he made any decision regarding Vick's indefinite suspension, he wanted to meet with him and see remorse and evidence of change in his lifestyle and decision-making.
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