Judge to hear about Brady's 'Deflategate' suspension settlement talks

[August 12, 2015]  By Nate Raymond and Steve Ginsburg
 
 NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Football League and the players’ union are expected to update a Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday on their progress, or lack of it, toward a settlement of their dispute over New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s 'Deflategate' suspension.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, who has pushed for a settlement, is expected to hear a closed-door briefing from the league and union regarding their efforts to resolve the case without the judge deciding whether to uphold Brady's ban.

That private meeting will come ahead of a previously scheduled court hearing that Berman has instructed both Brady, a 38-year-old four-time Super Bowl champion, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to attend.

The NFL suspended Brady in May for four games of the upcoming season after its investigators determined that the 13-year veteran was aware of a plan to have the team's footballs inflated below league standards in a playoff game in January.

Brady has denied knowing about the deflated footballs or any scheme hatched by Patriots employees to carry it out, as alleged by NFL investigators in a detailed 243-page report.

New England routed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in January's American Football Conference championship to advance to the Super Bowl, where the Patriots edged the Seattle Seahawks 28-24.

A deflated football can be easier to grip for a quarterback, especially in the cold conditions like those outside Boston in which the AFC title game was played.

Goodell approved the suspension recommended by Troy Vincent, the league's executive vice president of football operations. He then heard Brady's appeal but upheld the penalty.

The NFL Players Association, on behalf of Brady, believes that Goodell should not be able to hand down the penalty and then hear the appeal.

The NFL, however, contends Goodell has that right under the league's labor agreement and took the case to court minutes after denying Brady's appeal.

The NFL wants Berman to confirm that the league acted legally in the highly publicized matter. The union, meanwhile, has urged Berman to overturn the decision.

If upheld, the suspension could harm the previously squeaky-clean reputation of Brady, one of the NFL's most popular players and could hurt the Patriots' chances of reaching the playoffs this season.

The Patriots were fined a record $1 million and stripped of their first-round draft pick in 2016 and fourth-round selection in 2017.

(Writing by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Bill Rigby)

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