James Harrison doesn’t like Tom Brady’s chances.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman expects to rule this week on Brady’s four-game suspension appeal, and some say the New England Patriots quarterback has made a stronger case than NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. But Harrison, who hasn’t been shy about expressing his hatred for Goodell in the past, can’t help but think the league ultimately will prevail over Brady in the Deflategate saga.
“To be honest with you, I don’t see what a federal judge can do with something the players signed in the collective bargaining agreement, which gives Roger Goodell (power) to do what he wants to,” the veteran Steelers linebacker said Monday, according to the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. “And if that’s the case and he’s going by the letter of what he says, there’s nothing (a judge) can do.”
Harrison reportedly pointed out that he voted against the CBA that ended the NFL lockout in 2011. He also referred to Goodell as a “crook” and “devil” in a 2011 interview. The 37-year-old seemingly is trying to look at Deflategate without bias, though, and his suggestion the league will defeat Brady speaks to how unpredictable the entire situation has become.
Brady’s Patriots, of course, open the 2015 season against Harrison’s Steelers on Sept. 10 at Gillette Stadium.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
