NFLPA Files Appeal for Tom Brady, Demands Independent Arbitrator

Tom Brady vs the Roger Goodell is going to be captivating theater all summer – that’s kind of a given when the best QB in NFL history and reigning Super Bowl MVP gets suspended for four games for his role in (allegedly) deflating footballs ahead of the AFC Championship game.

The Wells Report hammered Brady last week, but slowly, the narrative has shifted. What advantage was really gained if the balls indeed were deflated? What about the gauge situation? The hard details are … soft, and while it all points to something going down, can you really suspend someone four games when you don’t know exactly what happened and what advantage was gained? A quarter of the season for not fully cooperating?

A day after Tom Brady hired power-lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, he’s appealed the suspension. And this is delicious:

" “Given the NFL’s history of inconsistency and arbitrary decisions in disciplinary matters, it is only fair that a neutral arbitrator hear this appeal,” the NFLPA said in a statement. “If Ted Wells and the NFL believe, as their public comments stated, that the evidence in their report is ‘direct’ and ‘inculpatory,’ then they should be confident enough to present their case before someone who is truly independent.”"

Please drag this out, NFL. No rush. Let the NBA Finals end, and wedge in the decision between early June and the NBA draft (late June). Or save it for mid-July, after NBA free agency chews up the first 10 days of the month.