A former member of the New England Patriots, and current NFL Network employee, has taken to the airwaves to absolutely hammer Roger Goodell and the NFL Headquarters investigation of Tom Brady and DeflateGate. “I’m still of the opinion that there are enough strengths and weaknesses on both sides which I believe a settlement seems like a logical and rational outcome”.
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League sources informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday that Brady can be prepared to a ban however provided that it may be for failing to cooperate with the NFL relatively than admitting to the Ted Wells report findings. He was on the field here with the New England Patriots as they participated in a joint practice with the New Orleans Saints at the Saints’ training camp at The Greenbrier resort.
The judge said he would hold a private settlement meeting with the lawyers later on Wednesday.
As Brady’s appeal goes through the legal system, one part of the suspension usually becomes forgotten: The amount of money Brady will lose if he is suspended.
“Mr. Goodell found that the deflation of the balls was to gain a competitive advantage, which he deemed an example of conduct detrimental to the league”, Nash said. Berman suggested Wednesday that he could have grounds to drop Brady’s suspension altogether should he decide to do so, citing concerns about the league’s issues with “fundamental fairness and evident impartiality”. No ruling from U.S. District Judge Richard Berman is expected. His lawyers have advised him against doing so until after his legal resistance to the NFL’s “deflategate” sanctions has played out.
Berman cast further skepticism on the NFL’s case by asking Nash why the NFLPA wasn’t allowed to cross-examine NFL attorney Jeff Pash, who was listed as a co-author of the Wells report, during Brady’s 10-hour hearing on June 23.
Commissioner Roger Goodell made the comparison between the two offenses, a claim Berman repeatedly asked NFL attorney Daniel Nash to justify during the two-hour, 15-minute hearing in New York.
The commissioner also accused Brady of obstructing the NFL’s probe into the controversy by destroying his cellphone containing almost 10,000 messages.
Even with the main combatants missing, Judge Berman didn’t appear happy to see the lawyers.
“Both the NFL and NFLPA have asked the judge to rule by that date, which is six days before the Patriots’ season-opener against the Steelers”.
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The two-time Super Bowl MVP is in the final year of a contract that will pay him a $17 million base salary.
