Goodell affirmed the four-game suspension recommended by the NFL’s vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent, and then upheld the penalty after presiding over Brady’s appeal. “I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organisation did either”.
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Patriots owner Robert Kraft threw his support behind his player, considered one of the NFL’s all-time greats.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about”, he said when asked about Thursday’s flyover.
Aaron Shea, a friend of Tom Brady came to Brady’s defense today regarding the phone destruction associated with Deflategate. He notes how he passed the team’s concerns to investigator Ted Wells, but ultimately never seems inclined to meet the Patriots’ request. The focus now is on the conduct of the league and the commissioner, not the conduct of Tom Brady.
It is possible that the judge could believe that Brady cheated, yet still overturn his suspension because the hearing process was unfair.
Brady’s boss, Bill Belichick, remains confident – at least with his actions – that New England’s franchise quarterback won’t have to serve the full four games of his ban. Brady, through the union, will seek an injunction that will allow him to play for the Patriots until the case is final. He said he does not have a preference on whether he likes the football hard or soft. Jimmy Garoppolo and Brady are the only two healthy quarterbacks through the first three days of practice.
The Minnesota court is considered friendly to unions, and in February voided an NFL suspension of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson after his no-contest plea to hitting his son with a tree branch.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman scheduled conferences for Aug. 12 and Aug. 19 in New York.
The allegations of tampering surfaced during New England’s 45-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC title game in January.
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A football inflated below league standards can make it easier to grip for a quarterback. The fans filled up the stands at the Patriots practice facility and showed they were prepared to stand side-by-side, as their team goes through this latest scandal. It also carries a base fine of $25,000. Goodell also ordered the club to surrender two draft choices, including the team’s coveted No. 1 pick next year. But with Brady steadfastly avoiding the media all offseason while being involved in a bitter legal dispute with the league, he might be willing to defy its guidelines in this area, too.
