Deflategate has been in the news for nearly a year-and-a-half, and with Tom Brady’s legal team now pursuing an “en banc” appeal of the New England Patriots quarterback’s four-game suspension, a resolution likely isn’t coming any time soon.
But according to NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, this whole circus could have been avoided had the NFL accepted what he called an “incredibly generous (settlement) offer” from Brady’s camp.
“Tom, I think, made a great offer to settle these cases,” Smith said Monday on “The Dan Patrick Show.” “The league didn’t want to do it because he refused to throw his trainers under the bus. Look, Tom’s a stand-up guy, and he made a settlement offer to resolve this. The league chose not to take it, and that’s where we are.”
Smith declined to share the details of Brady’s offer, but he did not sound surprised the QB declined the NFL’s terms.
“The league asked for something that no man should agree to do,” said Smith, who added he’d still be willing to hear any offer the NFL wishes to present.
As the case currently stands, Brady is set to miss the first four games of the 2016 season. He would be eligible to return Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
