MICHIGAN IN THE PROS
BY CHRIS BALAS
T
he NFL Players Association has
officially filed a new brief on be-
half of New England Patriots quar-
terback Tom Brady, in an effort to
overturn a four-game suspension
levied by NFL commissioner Roger
Goodell over suspicion that Brady
had footballs deflated to his liking
in the AFC Championship Game
against Indianapolis. Brady and the
NFLPA faced Goodell and the NFL
in a hearing at a U.S. District Court
Aug. 12 in Manhattan, N.Y.
The players' union called the in-
vestigation, fueled by a report from
Ted Wells, a "smear campaign" and
"a propaganda piece written for pub-
lic consumption."
"Our commish handed out a four-
game suspension with no real ev-
idence, then arbitrated the appeal
himself. What's wrong with that?"
former ESPN.com writer Bill Sim-
mons tweeted.
And while many people pointed to
Brady's destruction of his cell phone
as evidence of guilt, even Wells testi-
fied in court that he never told Brady
a suspension could result if he opted
to withhold any evidence from his
phone or personal communication
devices.
"I want to be clear — I did not tell
Mr. Brady at any time that he would
be subject to punishment for not
giving, not turning over the docu-
ments," Wells said. "I did not say
anything like that."
Unless the NFL and NFLPA reach a
settlement, District Court Judge Rich-
ard Berman could reportedly reach a
verdict in the case by Sept. 4. The
Patriots open their season Sept. 10
against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Berman seemed unimpressed with
the NFL's case.
"What is the direct evidence that
implicates Mr. Brady?" Berman re-
MICHIGAN IN THE PROS
Tom Brady Seeks Exoneration
In Deflategate Case
The NFL Players Association took the fight
to get Brady's four-game suspension over-
turned to federal court in August, and a
ruling was expected to be made by Sept. 4.
PHOTO BY KEITH NORDSTROM
