Tom Brady might be forced to sit out the first four games of the 2016 NFL season, and at least one prominent reporter believes the the New England Patriots are “bracing” for such an outcome.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe pointed out a couple of reasons why he believes the Pats are of the belief Brady will lose his appeal:
“Between the Patriots dropping Brady’s base salaries to $1 million the next two seasons, and the release on Friday of an 8,000-word opus debunking the top 15 myths about Deflategate on ‘The Wells Report In Context,’ the Patriots sure seem like a team that is bracing for Brady to lose the appeal and serve his four-game suspension.”
The contract numbers seem to be the most convincing reason to assume Brady will be suspended, and that’s been something people have been talking about for a while.
However, given the way New England is constantly coming up with unique ways to save salary cap space, Brady’s $1 million base could also just be another way for the Patriots to have the money they need to stay competitive in his latter years — something he would adamantly stand behind.
One reason to think the quarterback might actually win his appeal is the growing suspicion that the NFL actually perjured itself (aka lied) in court on a few key points of interest (read more about that here).
Still, the NFL is awfully powerful. Nobody should be surprised by either result at this point. One judge already ruled in Brady’s favor, and another could just as easily rule in favor of the NFL on the appeal.