Bears’ Johnson, Goodell to meet
As expected, Tank Johnson will get an audience with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell within days of leaving Cook County Jail. The league has confirmed Goodell will meet with Johnson, who is scheduled to leave jail Sunday, on Wednesday in New York. Goodell has acted swiftly in doling out punishment after meetings with Pacman Jones and Chris Henry, and the Bears expect a quick decision on Johnson’s status. General manager Jerry Angelo has said he hoped Johnson had paid a stiff enough price by serving 60 days in jail, but most league observers expect a suspension for as many as eight games. Some fear Johnson, who spent time in jail– unlike Jones or Henry — could be suspended the entire season.
— David Haugh
Dog days may loom for Vick
Two friends of Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick are convinced he has been involved in illegal dog fighting at a home he owns in Smithfield, Va., they told SI.com on Thursday. Vick has denied it. “He knows what’s going on in that house,” one source told SI.com. “There’s not a doubt in my mind he’s involved with it.” A second source, quoted by SI.com, said Vick has a longtime “affinity” for the culture surrounding dog fighting. On Wednesday, Falcons coach Bobby Petrino said he hoped his QB would soon be cleared of any connection to the dozens of dogs found last month at the home. “I need to believe in Michael,” Petrino said. “His track record with me is that he’s told me the truth. I’m going to believe what Michael tells me.”
Henderson a good-hands guy
For all his accomplishments, you’d think snagging a foul ball in the stands would be small stuff for Rickey Henderson. Hardly the case. The career stolen-base leader caught a foul ball at Monday’s Mets-Giants game at AT&T Park and kept the ball instead of handing it to a young fan. “Everybody was asking me for the ball,” Henderson said, according to the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. “I said, ‘You’re not getting this ball. I always wanted to get a foul ball. This one’s going on a shelf at home.’ ” The young fan didn’t go home empty-handed, though, as Henderson signed another ball the kid already had. Henderson, 48, joked his catch shows he still has the skills to play the game: “Showing ’em I’ve still got good hands.”
