Tom Brady Updates: Wednesday

The appeal hearing for Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension lasted over 10 hours yesterday, but things eventually wrapped up, and another session won’t be necessary. While the hearing came to an end on Tuesday, we probably shouldn’t expect a ruling until July, as arbitrators typically take at least a couple weeks to announce their decisions on appeals.

Still, we have plenty of reactions and updates on Brady’s appeal to pass along, so let’s dive in and round up the latest….

  • The post-hearing briefs in the Brady appeal are due late next week, sources tell Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). That will give Goodell even more information to consider, so his ruling won’t come until some time after that.
  • As expected, the reviews on Brady’s Tuesday performance from NFL sources weren’t quite as glowing as the one’s from Brady’s side, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio cites a league source who says that the Super Bowl MVP simply reiterated that he wasn’t involved and didn’t have knowledge of any tampering with the footballs. When pressed on certain issues, Brady’s answers were “regarded by some in the room as not entirely credible,” says Florio.
  • Within the same PFT piece, Florio suggests that it’s unlikely Brady will be completely exonerated, and notes that the NFLPA’s defense for Brady hinged in large part on attacking the science in the Wells report.

Earlier updates:

  • Sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that Brady came off as “very genuine, earnest, and persuasive” during his testimony on Tuesday. According to Schefter, the Patriots quarterback every issue raised in the Ted Wells report, with one source calling it “an A+ performance.” I have to imagine Schefter’s sources are on the NFLPA’s camp rather than from the NFL side.
  • Within Schefter’s piece, NFLPA rep Jeffrey Kessler indicated that Brady and the union put forth a “very compelling case,” adding that no timetable for a decision was provided.
  • The transcript of Tuesday’s hearing won’t be released, though that could change if Brady and the NFLPA file a lawsuit against the NFL challenging the outcome of the appeal, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
  • Florio has two more pieces up on the DeflateGate saga, pointing out that the NFL only seems to come out to contradict erroneous reports when it benefits the league to do so, and suggesting that the NFL ought to study the inflation level of its footballs during the coming season to accumulate more scientific data on the subject.
  • Given all the gray area and lack of hard evidence in the case, Jarrett Bell of USA Today believes DeflateGate will end up being no more than a footnote to Brady’s legacy.
View Comments (2)