The National Football League and its players union clashed before a Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday after so far failing to reach a settlement in their dispute over the New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady’s “Deflategate” suspension.
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ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady may stand down and accept a suspension from the NFL under certain conditions relating to the ongoing “Deflategate” scandal.
Brady has decided not to attend his court hearing before Judge Berman that start at 10 a.m.
Ted Wells, a lawyer hired by the NFL to probe how the footballs were inflated below league standards, placed the blame on two Patriots employees but said Brady was “at least generally aware” of what happened. PFT’s Mike Florio called Schefter’s report “accurate” Wednesday and added that Brady would specifically accept a one-game suspension, according to his sources. It was the alleged actions taken in that game, remember, for which Brady was suspended four games.
The failure to strike a deal after about four hours of talks means a Wednesday hearing will proceed as scheduled. But when Tuesday’s proceedings brought no movement in a possible settlement, Brady decided to return Wednesday for the Patriots’ joint practices with the New Orleans Saints in West Virginia. Though neither Brady nor Goodell was in the courtroom, DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFLPA, did attend.
While private discussions in Judge Berman’s robing room haven’t yielded a settlement, there are still tools he can use to push both sides to a middle ground.
During his arguments, Nash noted that Goodell didn’t find Brady credible during his appeal testimony and also said Jeffrey Kessler, a lawyer for the union, was misstating facts during his arguments. Goodell upheld the suspension on July 29 when Brady appealed, prompting Brady to file suit in federal court.
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But settlement deliberations between the NFL and the NFL Players Association have remained unproductive, just as they were prior to the case ending up in court.
