The NFL on Thursday confirmed that Commissioner Roger Goodell "will hear" Patriots QB Tom Brady’s appeal of the four-game suspension he "received as a result of the findings in the Wells Report," according to Shalise Manza Young of the BOSTON GLOBE. Goodell has the "authority to appoint himself as the hearing officer in appeals proceedings." The NFLPA earlier in the day when announcing the official appeal of Brady's punishment "urged a neutral arbitrator hear the case." Goodell hearing the case is "likely a maddening development for Brady, attorney Jeffrey Kessler, and the NFLPA, and one that could signal the sides could be headed to court before all is said and done." NFL Network reported that Brady's appeal hearing is expected to "take place in early to mid-June" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/15). In Boston, Karen Guregian writes having Goodell "call his own number won’t make Brady or the NFLPA too happy" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/15). On Long Island, Bob Glauber notes Goodell is empowered by the league's CBA to "handle all appeals, although he has delegated others to hear appeals in recent months" (NEWSDAY, 5/15). ESPN BOSTON's Mike Reiss wrote one line of thinking is that with Goodell "putting himself in this position, it increases the chances of Brady suing the NFL in court." If Goodell potentially uses the opportunity to "show some type of introspection on the league's handling of the investigation," he could "score some points with Brady and the Patriots if interested in finding a possible end game that works for both sides" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 5/14).
INDEPENDENCE DAY? PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio notes the decision comes only two weeks after the Missouri Supreme Court found that Goodell "can’t be truly independent in disputes involving the teams that employ him." With Deflategate, Goodell on one hand has a "desire to placate" Patriots Owner Robert Kraft and on the other hand a desire to "further bolster the notion that Goodell will never again go too easy on someone accused of wrongdoing." Florio: "Maybe those two competing desires will result in Goodell striking a fair balance." If Goodell "scuttles or adjusts in any way the decisions" of investigator Ted Wells and NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent, he will "look foolish for entrusting the situation to them in the first place" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 5/14).
