Jul 21, 2015 3 min read

When it comes to Tom Brady’s appeal process, it’s fourth down and Roger Goodell isn’t telling anyone whether he’s going to punt.

Goodell, guest speaker at Tuesday’s luncheon that kicked off the Y Capital Campaign for Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living at the Hilton Garden Inn in Southpointe, said there is no timeline for him to rule on Brady’s appeal.

The New England Patriots are appealing a four-game suspension handed down by Goodell June 23 for Brady’s alleged involvement in deflating footballs before the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. Goodell’s actions came after the league spent $5 million on an investigation, labeled the Wells Report, which said Brady was “more probable than not” to be involved with the scandal.

If Goodell does not drastically reduce the sanctions, it’s possible Brady will not be in the lineup when the Patriots open the NFL season against the Steelers Sept. 10 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.

It’s also just as possible Brady will be in the lineup under any circumstances because he has threatened to sue the league in federal court if the sanctions were not drastically reduced. If that happens, he could get an injunction that would allow him to play until the matter is resolved.

Part of Brady’s penalty probably stems from his reluctance to cooperate with the investigation. Brady refused to reveal selected text messages concerning “Deflategate,” and that put him in a poor light.

The longer this goes without a decision, the more interesting it gets. Goodell is taking a chance in calling Brady’s bluff over suing the NFL. Training camps are opening this week and kickoff for the first game of the regular season is 49 days away. The featured Thursday night game in Week 1? Yep. Steelers-Patriots.

If Brady is successful in getting the sanctions overturned in federal court, it will mark another major failure for Goodell. He was forced to punish Ray Rice twice after video of Rice knocking out his girlfriend in an elevator surfaced in 2014.

Dallas defensive end Greg Hardy had his 10-game suspension by the league cut to four this summer by an independent arbitrator over a domestic violence incident.

Maybe the most well-known in this area was the six-game suspension handed to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when he was allegedly involved in a sexual assault in Atlanta in 2010. Goodell cut it to four games when Roethlisberger was not charged.

Goodell’s four-game suspension of Brady does not seem to fit the level of activity from the others: Deflategate vs. domestic violence?

Brady also is taking a chance with a federal lawsuit. He might initially be successful in getting an injunction that allows him on the field, but what if he loses when the lawsuit is heard? And what if that suit is heard later in the NFL season, when the games take on more importance?

The NFL Players Association announced last week that it will fight any suspension. Though the Wells Report might not exactly provide smoking gun material, it might force Brady into a situation he could have avoided with a smaller suspension.

The best way to resolve this issue is for the two sides to come to an agreement on a shorter suspension, say two games.

That might not sit well with Patriots’ fans but Pittsburgh fans would be pleased. Each side would come away with something they can call a victory and that is at the heart of every good deal.

Assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano can be reached at jtuscano@observer-reporter.com