8:53 p.m.: Tom Brady indeed left through the parking garage, a police officer told CSNNE’s Tom E. Curran, but the quarterback’s representatives and investigator Ted Wells were willing to talk as they left NFL headquarters.
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8:40 p.m.: The Commissioner has left the building …
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… so that means the hearing is over, right?
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Now we wait for Roger Goodell’s decision. Will he stick by his four-game suspension of Tom Brady? Reduce it to a three-, two- or one-gamer? Vacate the suspension, as Brady desires? There’s no timeline for Goodell to make that call, but stay tuned.
7:45 p.m.: If Gary Myers of the New York Daily News is correct, we’re coming down the home stretch.
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7:30 p.m.:Â We hope dinner was provided for everyone involved in this Tom Brady suspension appeal hearing.
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6:30 p.m.: So much for that 5:30 p.m. end time. The sides still are meeting, according to The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin.
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2:52 p.m.: We now have a better idea of the time frame, thanks to The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin.
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2:42 p.m.:Â Earlier, we brought you a tidbit from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported Tom Brady and his team were given four hours to present their case during the hearing. Apparently we’re now going to debate what exactly that means.
After ProFootballTalk.com tweeted a story about the supposed four-hour limit, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tweeted at the PFT account, saying there was no “strict” time limit.
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Schefter followed with this.
So who really knows? What we do know is the hearing was supposed to begin at 9:30 a.m. If that was the case, the hearing would be more than five hours old at this point, but that doesn’t take into account any sort of breaks.
Basically, what we’re saying, is there’s no new news at the moment. Stay tuned.
1:04 p.m.:Â It was expected that if the hearing wasn’t wrapped up Tuesday, it would be continued Thursday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter just reported, however, that the hearing is not expected to carry over to Thursday.
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Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will make his ruling by the end of the day. That might have to wait a few days.
12:54 p.m.:Â Patriots owner Robert Kraft is out of the country, but his impact apparently still is being felt at the appeal hearing. ESPN’s Adam Schefter just reported that while Kraft isn’t in New York for the hearing, he did submit a written affidavit in Brady’s defense.
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11:35 a.m.:Â We know now, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that Tom Brady is testifying under oath during his appeal hearing. Considering the appeal isn’t in a court of law, what exactly does that mean? Sports Illustrated legal analyst Michael McCann was able to shed some light earlier.
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10:42 a.m.: About an hour after Tom Brady arrived for his hearing, we have our first bit of news. ESPN’s Adam Schefter just reported Brady is testifying under oath.
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10:15 a.m.: This is kind of funny. Unless things are behind schedule, the guess is the hearing’s underway. As that’s going on, the Patriots are doing some interesting things on social media.
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That came shortly after the Patriots declared this “#TomTuesday” in an Instagram post. We’re guessing that’s not coincidence.
9:35 a.m.: This thing was supposed to get underway at 9:30 a.m., which has come and gone without any sign of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. It’s likely, of course, that he’s already in the building.
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Of course, we’ll provide any sort of updates — big or small — as they’re reported.
9:20 a.m.: Here’s a video of Tom Brady entering through the NFL headquarters’ side entrance.
9:16 a.m.: In case you didn’t believe us, Tom Brady has arrived at NFL headquarters, and here’s photographic proof.
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9:11 a.m.: We spoke too soon. Tom Brady reportedly has arrived, and unsurprisingly, he did so with as little hoopla as possible, essentially sneaking into the building.
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9:09Â a.m.:Â We’ve yet to see reports of Tom Brady’s arrival, but he already has plenty of support in New York. In an ESPN live shot, one fan was wearing a Brady jersey and holding a “Free Brady” sign with the Patriots logo.
There also are these folks.
8:45 a.m.:Â Here’s another interesting tidbit from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
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8:40 a.m.: Tom Brady’s task might be a tall one. While many question the scientific merit of the Wells Report and the conclusions it made — especially regarding Brady — his task Tuesday won’t simply be to disprove the report. According to NFL Media’s Albert Breer, Brady will have to prove his innocence, not simply discredit the report.
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That won’t necessarily be easy, as it’s often difficult to prove innocence, but apparently that’s what it will take for Brady to be exonerated.
8:35 a.m.:Â Predictably, the scene outside NFL headquarters in New York already is a zoo.
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8:30 a.m. ET: The day finally is here.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be at NFL headquarters in New York to state his case in appealing the four-game suspension the NFL gave him for his alleged role in Deflategate. According to reports, Brady has insisted his innocence all along, and he’ll have a chance to tell his side of the story during the appeal. The reigning Super Bowl MVP hopes to have his four-game suspension reduced or, according to reports, completely thrown out.
Despite the efforts of Brady and the NFL Players Association, the appeal hearing will be heard by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The union unsuccessfully attempted to get Goodell to recuse himself from hearing the appeal.
Here are a couple of links for you to comb through before the 9:30 a.m. ET appeal hearing.
— Tom Brady appeal hearing primer
— Ted Wells, who oversaw the Wells Report detailing Brady’s alleged role in all of this, reportedly will attend the hearing.
— Poll: What will Brady’s suspension length be after the appeal?
Be sure to check back throughout the morning for updates.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@SportQc
