Michael Vick is free to sign, but Dallas Cowboys are not interested

By CLARENCE E. HILL JR. Although quarterback Michael Vick is not yet a free man, he is free to sign with any NFL team after being released by the Atlanta Falcons on Friday.Vick, who will not complete his 23-month prison sentence for running a dogfighting operation until July 20, remains suspended by the NFL. He is serving the remainder of his sentence under house arrest in Virginia.Internet message boards are heating up with talk of the free-agent quarterback joining the Dallas Cowboys because of the team’s history of taking chances on controversial players, but don’t look for owner Jerry Jones to get involved with this project.Although Jones was unavailable for comment Friday, he was blunt when asked last month about Vick and the Cowboys’ quarterbacking situation."Romo is our guy," Jones said, referring to incumbent starter Tony Romo.Jones has spent the off-season ridding the Cowboys’ locker room of controversial and disgruntled players such as Tank Johnson, Adam "Pacman" Jones and Terrell Owens.The Cowboys’ owner also has ruled out the possibility of adding free agent Matt Jones despite the receiver’s Arkansas ties. Matt Jones recently violated his probation from a previous arrest for felony possession of a controlled substance. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has not committed to reinstating Vick. He said last month he would not make a decision on Vick before the end of his sentence."Once he’s concluded that, I will make a judgment based on what he tells me and what I can determine from speaking to others and a final background check on this, and make a determination at the right time," Goodell said.Regardless, it appears Jerry Jones isn’t interested."That’s their decision," Jones said of the NFL last month. "I just have to worry about the Cowboys."Vick was drafted by the Falcons in 2001 out of Virginia Tech and played six seasons with the team. He led the Falcons to 2003 NFC title game and was one of the league’s most dynamic players before his downfall.Vick currently is making $10 an hour as a construction worker for W.M. Jordan Co. since his release from federal prison in Kansas on May 20.As he hopes for reinstatement from Goodell, Vick faces other pressing priorities, including his crumbled finances.On Tuesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro set a July 2 deadline for Vick to submit a revised Chapter 11 plan. A hearing to confirm or reject the plan was set for Aug. 27.Santoro said that if the new plan fails to address the shortcomings that prompted him to reject the first one in April, he will appoint an independent trustee to take over management of Vick’s finances.Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.