Brady’s ‘Deflate Gate’ punishment appeal gets underway

NEW YORK (WISH) – Tom Brady’s appeal of his Deflate Gate punishment is set to get underway on Tuesday.

He’s fighting the four-game suspension handed down by Commissioner Roger Goodell. The league suspended Brady for the first four games of next season after an independent report found he likely knew footballs were intentionally under-inflated during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Brady’s lawyers are expected to try to shoot down those findings. They’ll argue that the evidence collected in the Wells report doesn’t prove Brady violated any NFL rules and the punishment is harsher than similar previous violations.

Another issue is, Goodell himself will be hearing the appeal, something the commissioner has previously delegated to a federal judge or hearing officer. He talked about the case back in May after he announced he would personally hear the appeal.

“I look forward to hearing directly from Tom,” said Goodell back in May. “If there’s new information or information that will be helpful to us in getting this right I want to hear directly from Tom on that.”

The players union could also argue that league executive Troy Vincent, who imposed the suspension, has no authority to issue such a punishment, therefore voiding it.

So what’s next? If the suspension stands, either fully intact or reduced, Brady could file a federal lawsuit against the league or Goodell. That could allow him to play while the legal process plays out.