New England Patriots: Long Wait Hasn’t Been Appealing

ByRussell S. Baxter|

Feb 2, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (left) and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pose with the Pete Rozelle trophy during the Super Bowl XLIX-Winning Head Coach and MVP Press Conference at Media Center-Press Conference Room B. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Imagine that you are standing in New York’s Times Square on January 1 and it is 12:15 am.

And the ball still hasn’t dropped.

Welcome to the ongoing saga known as “Deflate Gate.”

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Earlier today, we finally heard from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell when it came to the latest regarding the four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion’s appeal.

We just didn’t hear very much. Or to be more specific, we didn’t hear what we wanted to hear.

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On Tuesday, the embattled Goodell was in Pittsburgh for a fund-raising event and what a surprise: Someone asked him about the leader of the defending Super Bowl champions and when we can expect a decision.

“We are focused on it,” said Goodell to Mark Kaboly of TribLive.com. “We are obviously being very thorough and want to make sure we consider all aspects of his appeal. We will make a decision as quickly as possible.”

May 27, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy (76) runs during OTAs at Dallas Cowboys Headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

In recent weeks, we learned that Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy will miss the first four games of 2015 rather than the 10 he was originally suspended for.

We also saw the league levy suspension on eight players, four of which are on active rosters. Cowboys’ linebacker Rolando McClain, Chargers’ tight end Antonio Gates and Jets’ defensive tackle received four-game suspensions and Packers’ defensive end Datone Jones will miss the team’s season opener vs. the Bears.

And still we wait.

You will recall (courtesy of the Associated Press’ Rachel Cohen) that Brady and the involved parties spent at least 10 hours at the NFL offices on June 23 as the 15-year pro made his case for why his four-game sentence should be eliminated. Back on May 11 (via Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com), the league announced that Brady would miss the team’s first four games due to his role in the dubiously-dubbed “DeflateGate.”

So the NFL has had exactly four weeks (28 days) to go over Brady’s admissions and denials and whatever else he was asked. That seems like plenty of time to cover roughly 10-11 hours of testimony. But we are one day away from training camp opening for the rookies of the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.

And still we wait.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) speaks with head coach Bill Belichick during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Following the evening of June 23, Tom Curran of CNNSE.com reported that Jeffrey Kessler, Brady’s attorney, stated that he was not sure how long it would take for us to hear a decision. “I don’t know what timetable will be,” said Kessler last month. “We presented a very compelling case.”

Think about this. On May 11, the news of Brady’s suspension as well as the punishment levied on the Patriots organization ($1 million fine, forfeiture of a first-round draft choice in 2016 and a fourth-round pick in 2017). Now the month of August is on the horizon and we still have no solution.

To think, this all started over a little speculation over air pressure.

Of course, for fans of the Patriots, Brady and the game itself, the longer the wait, the more everyone with any interest in the matter gets a little more PSI-ed off.

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