If I Were Goodell ...

A cross section of recommendations on what the NFL commissioner should do with Michael Vick

"It's a no-brainer. I'd let him play. He's been punished already—in my view, excessively. They have no right to extend his punishment. It would be denying the right to an occupation."
Alan Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

"If I did time for a serious crime, I doubt I could sashay back into my job as a cable-TV news host. There is the legal penalty and then there's the societal penalty. Let's not confuse the two."
Jane Velez-Mitchell, HLN network host

"What if 20,000 members of the SPCA show up to picket a game? I think Mike should be allowed back, but I also see the other side, that you have to win in the court of public opinion."
Ronde Barber, Buccaneers cornerback

"It's up to the commissioner, but everyone should get a second chance. He shouldn't be made a total pariah. If he's reformed, he should have a chance to set a better example."
Paul De Santis, lawyer and adopter of a Vick pit bull

"Let's see, Leonard Little got drunk and killed another human in a car accident. He served 90 days in jail and got suspended for eight games. Vick was cruel to some dogs. He went to jail for a year and a half. And we're wondering if Vick can play in the NFL? Please."
Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers