New York — Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will get a chance to explain himself to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, although no date has been set for a meeting.

The first thing Vick may want to tell Goodell is why he lied to him at the draft on April 28 when he denied any involvement in dogfighting. In fact, he told Goodell, "I love dogs."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed on Tuesday that Goodell expects to meet with Vick "at some point in the future" but nothing has been scheduled. Aiello would not say if the meeting would take place before Vick is sentenced Dec. 10, but that would seem likely.

Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely last week, shortly after Vick's signed guilty plea was submitted to the court in Richmond, Va. Vick is expected to be sentenced to 12-18 months in prison then face a more definitive timetable on an NFL suspension. It is anticipated Goodell will suspend Vick for at least one season following his release from prison, which means the earliest he would play is 2010. It's possible Goodell could suspend him longer, but review it after one year. And depending on what is uncovered by the NFL in the gambling aspects of the case, Vick could be looking at a lifetime ban.

"You are now justifiably facing the consequences for the decisions you made and the conduct in which you engaged," Goodell wrote in a harshly worded letter to Vick last week. "Your career, freedom and public standing are now in the most serious jeopardy. I hope that you will be able to learn from this difficult experience and emerge from it better prepared to act responsibly and to make the kinds of choices that are expected of a conscientious and law-abiding citizen."