Patriots QB Tom Brady "will appear in person for a court-mandated Deflategate settlement hearing" Aug. 12 in N.Y., according to a source cited by Dan Graziano of ESPN N.Y. There had been some reports yesterday that Brady "might try to attend the hearing by phone, but the source insisted that the plan was always for Brady to appear in person, as the judge ordered" (ESPNNY.com, 8/3).
FAIR PLAY? In Boston, Ben Volin writes the NFL’s actions in investigating and punishing the Patriots and Brady "are fairly deplorable." The whole thing "reeks of bias, pettiness, and a complete disregard of fair play." Both sides "are acting like children," and both sides "are wrong." It is "one thing for the NFL to wage war" with the NFLPA. Volin: "What I don't quite understand is why the NFL has gone to war with the Patriots." Underscoring this "entire six-month ordeal is a shocking lack of communication between the NFL and the Patriots/Brady, detailing how little interest the NFL had in working with the team" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/4). In N.Y., Gary Myers writes under the header, "Birthday Boy Tom Brady Should Get Gift Of Reduced Ban From Roger Goodell." The commissioner has "turned this into an ugly battle" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/4). GRANTLAND's Charles Pierce wrote this is "another measure of how much in the NFL has passed from the control of the commissioner and into the hands of the various plutocrats for whom he works." Goodell "can’t keep one set of owners from squealing on another owner?" Pierce: "He can’t keep his franchises from acting on ancient grudges that don’t matter a damn to anyone except the walking egos involved in them?" Ever since January, this "endless, misbegotten hootenanny has been more than a test" of Brady’s character. It has "been a test" of Goodell’s "leadership, and he has proved to be the Gregory Hines of stepping on hidden rakes" (GRANTLAND.com, 8/3).
CHRIS CROSS: In Boston, Christopher Gasper writes ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen, who backed out of a WEEI interview last week, "did himself no favors in a meandering ESPN Radio interview" yesterday. But the "over-the-top ire aimed at Mortensen seems to be a classic case of shooting the media messenger." Did Mortensen "report bad info saying 11 of the 12 Patriots footballs from the AFC Championship game were 2 PSI below regulation?" Gasper: "Absolutely. Should he have corrected his report? Undoubtedly. But trying to shame Mortensen into revealing the source of his erroneous information is exactly what many think Deflategate is -- a revenge-fueled witch hunt." The "real culprit here is the NFL, and the Patriots have every right to be livid with the league" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/4).
