Deflategate Update: NFL Refused Settlement Offer in Tom Brady’s Case
The NFL reportedly refused to settle with the NFL Players Association, ESPN.com reported.
It is common for the league to make a deal when a suspended player uses his appeal rights. In this case, when the NFLPA reached out to the NFL to talk about a settlement proposal, they were met with only "silence."
The proposal supposedly asked the league to change the suspension to a one-time fine. Pro Football Talk reported that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was receiving pressure from a small group of owners who wanted the four-game suspension to remain.
Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback, appealed his four-game suspension, which he received for his alleged involvement with the tampered footballs that were used in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Ted Wells' report concluded that "it was more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of [Jim] McNally and [John] Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls." Brady allegedly did not provide documents or electronic information, such as his text messages and emails, to the investigators when asked.
Brady has maintained his innocence since the start of the investigation and the NFLPA has expressed their support for the player.
"We're prepared to do whatever it takes to support Tom's rights if a decision is deemed to have violated the CBA," George Atallah, the NFLPA assistant executive director of external affairs, said on SiriusXM Radio on Thursday. "Any time that a player finds himself in a difficult position, the NFLPA will attempt to use any and all possible ways to help support that player to get him out of that particular jam. Yes, those types of settlement talks happen all the time. Yes, those types of settlement talks are often engaged (in) by our union and the player's representatives. Sometimes they're successful, and sometimes they're not."
If both sides cannot agree to a settlement, Brady could take the NFL to federal court where his lawyers will most likely question the accuracy of the Wells Report. They would also be expected to question whether or not Goodell could have been biased as the sole appeals arbitrator in the case.
