SAN FRANCISCO — The NFL Players Association hasn’t given up the fight for a neutral party to serve as arbitrator in Tom Brady’s suspension appeal.
The NFLPA asked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to recuse himself from hearing Brady’s appeal. Brady was suspended four games for his role in Deflategate.
“The NFLPA has formally requested that Commissioner Roger Goodell recuse himself as the arbitrator in Tom Brady’s disciplinary appeal,” the players association said in a statement. “Given a process that has contained procedural violations of our collective bargaining agreement, the Commissioner’s role as a central witness in the appeal hearing and his evident partiality with respect to the Wells report, the Commissioner must designate a neutral party to serve as an arbitrator in this matter. The players also believe that the Commissioner’s history of inconsistently issuing discipline against our players makes him ill-suited to hear this appeal in a fair-minded manner.
“If the NFL believes the Ted Wells report has credibility because it is independent, then the NFL should embrace our request for an independent review.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced Tuesday that his team has put Deflategate behind them and will not appeal the NFL’s discipline. The submission wasn’t popular with Patriots fans, but in easing relations with the league, there’s a slightly higher chance Brady’s appeal could be reduced or thrown out.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
