Reiss On Sports Final: Brady Getting Suspension Thrown Out 'A Hail Mary'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady made his case to the NFL last week, and now it all sits in Roger Goodell's hands.
Brady appealed his four-game suspension for the DeflateGate controversy for over 10 hours last Tuesday, and post-hearing briefs are due to Goodell by the end of this week. It's unclear how long the commish will take to make his ruling, but ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss thinks it's highly unlikely that the four-game ban will be thrown out completely.
"I think it's a hail Mary. There is always a chance -- Doug Flutie taught us that -- but it's a Hail Mary," Reiss said Sunday night on WBZ-TV's Sports Final. "The league has dug in and it would be shocking if after all this, the league, that has hardly acknowledge any of its own wrongdoing or missteps, that Goodell would come out and say 'we got it wrong.' That would be out of character based on what we've seen so far."
There's a chance Goodell cuts Brady's suspension in half and gives the QB a two-game ban, but that would likely lead to Brady taking the league to court.
"What [Patriots owner Robert] Kraft and Brady want is exoneration. Two games is two games; you don't get your exoneration because you're still getting hit with the suspension and it's not vacated," said Reiss. "You're just dealing with the best of a bad situation."
Will Brady be suiting up for the Patriots when they kick off the 2015 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette on September 10?
"I don't think so," said Reiss. "I don't think by Goodell's ruling he'll be playing, but with court and delays, I think there is a chance.
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