Tom Brady and his camp have until 11:00pm CT on Thursday to officially file an appeal in response to his four-game suspension, and we have a handful of updates on that appeal process in the space below. Here’s the latest on Brady and DeflateGate:
- As one Tuesday report outlined, there was some uncertainty about whether Brady and agent Don Yee would involve the NFLPA in their appeal of the quarterback’s four-game ban, but Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets that Brady’s camp has finally involved the union in the process. The Players Association is expected to take the lead in Brady’s appeal, says Werder.
- As Barry Wilner of The Associated Press outlines, labor attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who recently represented Adrian Peterson in his suspension appeal, will aid the NFLPA in Brady’s appeal.
- The NFLPA has already drafted Brady’s appeal letter, but it’s still going through the union’s process and will likely be formally filed tomorrow, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
- At least one source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he thinks Brady’s “talented, big-name lawyers,” including Kessler, will get the penalty overturned and that the quarterback won’t miss a game. Schefter conveyed that source’s message on The Herd With Colin Cowherd” today, and also suggested that the Patriots are “angry” about the penalties handed down by the NFL (including lost draft picks and a $1MM fine), since the organization doesn’t feel as if it did anything wrong. Doug Kyed of NESN.com has the details, along with quotes from Schefter.
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com agrees with Schefter’s assessment of the Pats’ reaction to the NFL’s decision, writing that the team is “fuming.” Although owner Robert Kraft and the franchise hadn’t initially been planning to fight the discipline handed down by the league, the overall scope of that discipline “was unlike anything they expected,” a source tells La Canfora. Per La Canfora, Kraft and his team may challenge the NFL’s ruling, but that’s probably still a long shot at this point.
- Multiple sources tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) that Kraft is “strongly considering” filing a lawsuit against the NFL over the ruling. However, according to Cole, many of those same sources are trying to discourage the Pats owner from doing so, since they believe it will be a “fruitless endeavor.”