NFL Giants President & CEO John Mara "will not participate" in Deflategate settlement discussions between Tom Brady and the league, after the court overseeing the case "asked the league whether it would reach out to Mara," according to sources cited by Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. League lawyers "rejected the suggestion by the court that Mara might be able to help facilitate a resolution, citing factors that include the NFL's stance that the entire matter falls under the domain" of Commissioner Roger Goodell (ESPN.com, 8/20). In N.Y., Gary Myers writes Mara is "considered the voice of reason in the NFL," and the court wanted to get him "involved in talks to help resolve the case." But a source said that NFL attorneys "denied the court’s request to have Mara participate before it even reached him." The court "requested the involvement of NFL owners and specifically asked for Mara." It is "not clear if the request came" from Judge Richard Berman, who is in charge of the case, or U.S. Magistrate Judge James Francis, both of whom "have been unable to get the sides to settle." Mara is Chair of the NFL Management Council Exec Committee (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/21).
WORTH THE RISK? YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel writes in exchange for the right to suspend Brady "for a quarter of the season, the NFL opens itself up to justifiable criticism, widespread distrust and pronounced anger from employees, customers and even the aggrieved" Patriots Owner Robert Kraft. Wetzel: "Is all of that worth a system negotiated so Roger Goodell could play judge, jury and mid-trial rulebook rewrite man?" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/21). CSNNE.com's Tom Curran wrote Berman's "exasperation with the NFL" in the last two hearings in the case "hasn't looked like a ploy." Berman seems "amazed they put this dog-and-pony show in his inbox, aghast at the leaps the investigation made and irked by the lack of fairness." The NFL "decided to make a federal case out of its belief the Patriots think they are above the law, that the rules don’t apply to them." They now are "encountering a federal judge who’s only too happy to point out that they are the ones guilty of doing what they say the Patriots have done" (CSNNE.com, 8/20).
OWNER CALLS IT "EMBARRASSING": BLEACHER REPORT's Mike Freeman quotes an anonymous NFL team owner as saying Deflategate is "embarrassing" the league. The owner said he agreed with the idea of Goodell "being the voice of discipline." But he added, "It can't be denied that the process meeds major tweaking. This process has hurt Tom, it's hurt Roger and it's hurt the NFL. This entire episode is embarrassing our sport. It makes us look horrible. Think about how long this has gone on. This shouldn't happen." The owner added, "Nothing like this happens in other leagues. Why our league?" Freeman writes this is the "harshest I've heard any owner speak about the process." Goodell has "always received strong support from ownership." While that support "hasn't wavered," Freeman writes, "I do sense more introspection from ownership and team officials on Goodell's dual role as punisher and appeals officer when it comes to discipline issues" (BLEACHERREPORT.com, 8/21). SNY’s Chris Carlin said Goodell cannot let Deflategate “continue to dominate the headlines of your sport, because if you do you are acting completely in direct opposite of what the best interests of the game are” (“Loud Mouths,” SNY, 8/20).
ALL APOLOGIES: In Boston, Chad Finn notes ESPN's Steve Levy during the 12:00am edition of "SportsCenter" Thursday morning issued an apology "for two recent references on the network to the Patriots taping the Rams’ walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI." Levy said, "That story was found to be false and should not have been part of our reporting. We apologize to the Patriots organization." But Finn notes ESPN "did not provide the correction on its own volition -- the Patriots requested it." Given that ESPN "has not corrected certain previous erroneous reports -- most notably" Chris Mortensen’s report on the deflated footballs -- it is "tempting to question the integrity and independence of some of the network’s Patriots coverage." Finn: "Apparently ... ESPN can withhold its most embarrassing mea culpas for late at night" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/21).
