NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is a great lawyer, he is a very detail oriented man who is not going to rush to either suspend or dismiss Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. The federal indictment for dogfighting charges hangs over both Vick and the NFL are issues that Goddell will resolve only after a great deal of homework is done, it is his way.

He was here in Washington to accomplish a couple of key pieces of business, first he met with NFL Players Association Union chief Gene Upshaw. He wanted to make sure that the union was aware of how he was going to handle the Vick matter.

Goodell sought the help of a former U.S. Justice Department deputy attorney general Eric Holder will oversee the leagues investigation into the allegations and the indictment against Vick. Goodell has given Holder an unlimited amount of time to come to a resolution on the case and to advise the league.

Meanwhile Vick has been told not report to the Falcons camp until the league can come to a fair resolution on how his actions should be handled. Thus Vick will be paid by the Falcons while is on a leave of absence mandated by the NFL.

Goodell is masterful in his handling of the Vick issue. He sought the unions support from Upshaw that the league would not violate Vicks rights to due process and the belief that he is innocent until proven guilty.

The commissioner’s move kept Falcons owner Arthur Blank from suspending Vick from the team for the league maximum four games without pay. That was Blanks plan but the NFL headed it off so that due process could go and so the union would support the league in its actions.

What is going on here is the NFL working to solve a problem with one of their highest profile players while not taking away his civil rights. The independent investigation done by Holder will no doubt take months as will the legal defense that Vick must mount to defend himself from his accusers.

Goodell is hoping that he Upshaw and Blanks can convince Vick that a paid leave of absence until the legal proceeding comes to an end is in his best interest. The justice department has a 95% conviction rate in federal indictment cases. That is a stat not lost on Goodell.

But he is the ultimate detail man and he knows that if he does everything by the book and Vick is innocent then there will be little or no backlash against the league, and Vick will have the time to defend himself. On the other hand if Vick is guilty once again the NFL did the right thing by taking their time and covering all the details.

Welcome to the NFL of Roger Goodell the “detail man.”