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Leagues and Governing Bodies

NFLPA To File Injunction That Would Allow Brady To Play Until Deflategate Case Is Final

Attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who the NFLPA retained to rep Tom Brady in his Deflategate case, said Thursday that the union "will be filing a specific motion for an injunction" on Friday in N.Y. court, which would allow Brady to "play for the Patriots until the case is final," according to ESPN.com. Judge Richard Berman, who has been assigned to the Brady case, also suggested the sides "tone down their rhetoric." He wrote, "While this litigation is ongoing, it is appropriate (and helpful) for all counsel and all parties in this case to tone down their rhetoric." He added, "If they have not already done so, the parties and counsel are directed forthwith actively to begin to pursue a mutually acceptable resolution of the case. The earth is already sufficiently scorched, the Court's view." Meanwhile, Kessler "wasn't concerned" about the decision to have the case heard in N.Y. rather than Minnesota. Kessler said the change in venue "makes absolutely no difference to us." Kessler: "We're still in a neutral forum for the first time in this case. Our arguments are compelling, and we think when they are presented here (in New York), they will remain compelling" (ESPN.com, 7/30). Kessler spoke with USA TODAY's Tom Pelissero and detailed the "four major grounds for Brady's case," including a lack of notice, insufficient procedures, a fundamentally unfair process and the "partiality" of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (USA TODAY, 7/31). In N.Y., Michael O'Keeffe notes Berman, a N.Y. native, was "appointed to the federal bench" by President Clinton in '98. Berman "earned a bachelor’s degree at Cornell" in '64 and a law degree at NYU in '67 (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/31). 

OWNERS BACK GOODELL'S DECISION: In N.Y., Stephen Lorenzo notes Giants President & CEO John Mara backed Goodell's decision to uphold Brady's suspension, but "like most of the league, he wishes the scandal would just go away." Mara said, "I'm saddened that it's come to this. Two weeks before the Super Bowl, that's all we talked about was Deflategate and now coming into training camp that's all we're talking about. ... The commissioner had a very difficult job to do here, but at the end of the day, I think he made a decision on the evidence and the facts that were before him without regard for the profile of the player or his personal relationship with the owner. You know what? That's what he's paid to do. He did his job. We could argue about whether it was fair or unfair, but he had to make a very tough decision under very difficult circumstances and he did it." He added, "I've been around (Goodell) enough to know that his intention is always to do the right thing. ... He had to make a tough decision here" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/31). Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross said of Goodell's decision, "I have a lot of confidence in Roger and the league offices. ... When it happens to you, everybody is always upset. It's a natural reaction. But I have a lot of confidence that the league has done the right thing. They have the facts. And I think Roger tries to treat everybody fairly" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/31). 

KRAFT'S PLAN: YAHOO SPORTS' Charles Robinson reported Patriots Owner Robert Kraft's "fire and brimstone statement on Wednesday was implemented in part" to remove Patriots coach Bill Belichick "from the media equation." A team source said that Kraft "didn't make the final decision to speak until the morning of Wednesday's news conference." Almost "nobody knew it was going to happen until Kraft walked into the press box behind Belichick." Robinson noted Kraft had a "few goals with his statement." He wanted to "completely block Belichick from having to answer any questions about Brady's future, which is why the owner stated that he had asked that nobody answer questions before a decision was handed down." He also wanted to "keep players, coaches and any other team personnel from making statements about Brady that could ultimately lead to individuals being deposed as part of the NFLPA's lawsuit against the NFL" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/30). In Tampa, Tom Jones writes it "all starts at the top." Like "any organization, the personality of that organization can be directly traced back to ownership." In this case, Kraft "spends more time holding angry news conferences than any owner in the league." His outraged speeches are the "equivalent of a 4-year-old spoiled brat stomping his feet and holding his breath until he gets his way." When he is "told to go stand in the corner, he only gets angrier" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 7/31).

FANS BACK PATS IN DROVES: ESPN BOSTON's Mike Reiss noted the Patriots opened training camp Thursday, and a "standing-room-only crowd of 10,108" chanted Brady's name at various points during practice. When Kraft entered the practice area, many fans "rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation." The "overall vibe of the Patriots' first practice was unlike any other in recent memory" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 7/30). In Boston, Christopher Gasper writes Brady was "met with adulation and idolatry" on Thursday. Gasper: "The Church of Patriotology was in service" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/31). Meanwhile, YAHOO SPORTS' Robinson noted a single-propeller plane was circling over practice "for the better part of 40 minutes" with a sign that read, "cheaters look up." The "only way it would have gotten more interesting is if that plane had crash landed into Gillette Stadium," at which point both the NFL and the Patriots "would have blamed each other for that, too" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/31). 

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