By George Dohrmann, SI.com

• What's the federal government's role in the investigation?

Officials from the United States Department of Agriculture sat in on a meeting between Poindexter and investigators to review evidence last week. To this point, the USDA officials are only "assisting" according to one person who has spoke to them. They have not begun an independent investigation and will likely wait to see what, if any, charges Poindexter files. The FBI is also said to be poking around.

If Poindexter's investigation uncovers evidence that fighting dogs were shipped across state lines, the federal government's involvement could increase considerably. Animal-rights groups are pushing for the feds involvement; they worry Surry County doesn't have the resources for a trial of this magnitude. They have begun pressing the issue with their political allies and will continue to even after Poindexter's investigation is complete.

• Would NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspend Vick if he is indicted but before the case goes to trial?

There are two ways of looking at this and both require reading between the lines of recent statements by Goodell. After he spoke with Vick following the draft, Goodell said: "I was very clear with Michael. People living in your house and people on your property [are] your responsibility. He needed to make sure he surrounded himself with people who were going to treat him properly and represent him the way he wanted to be."

One way to look at that remark is that it suggests Vick could be penalized even if he isn't charged. If one of his associates is charged with fighting dogs on the property, Goodell could slap Vick with a light suspension as a way of showing the rest of the league that they must better monitor the actions of their entourages.

Goodell has also said that recent suspensions to Tennessee Titans defensive back Pacman Jones and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry stemmed from their status as repeat violators of the NFL's personal conduct policy. Even though Vick has had troubles in the past (making an obscene gesture to fans, having a water-bottle with a secret compartment confiscated at the airport), nothing he has done has reached the level of the allegations against Jones and Henry. So, it would seem unlikely Goodell would treat an indictment on dogfighting allegations as a second or third strike against Vick. Still, the league is watching the case closely and well aware that many NFL fans love their dogs and could be turned off if players are linked to a blood sport that is illegal in all 50 states.

As one NFL owner said: "Right now, this is a problem for Michael Vick and the Falcons, but if it comes out that more players are into dogfighting, then it becomes a problem for the league."

George Dohrmann can be reached at George_Dohrmann@simail.com