Before Roger Goodell upheld Tom Brady’s suspension, he offered to reduce the quarterback’s suspension in exchange for an admission of guilt, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. It is believed that the offer would have dropped the QB’s suspension to at least two games. If Brady was “sufficiently persuasive and profuse in his acceptance of guilt,” the suspension could have been reduced to one game. Ultimately, Brady refused and the suspension remains at four games, pending possible legal intervention.
A with knowledge of the situation told Florio the NFL was willing to drop the suspension by “at least 50 percent” if Brady was willing to meet three requirements:
- admitting to having knowledge of whatever John Jastremski and Jim McNally were doing to the footballs
- admitting to failing to cooperate with the Ted Wells investigation
- apologize
Brady, for unknown reasons, was unwilling to acquiesce to those demands. The Patriots quarterback likely faces an uphill battle in court after it was revealed that he destroyed his cell phone when asked to turn that information over.