Goodell denies request to recuse himself from Brady appeal

By Vincent Frank

In an expected move, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has declined the National Football League Players Association’s request that he recuse himself from Tom Brady’s appeal of the four-game suspension the league levied against him for his alleged role in Deflategate.

In denying the union’s request, Goodell had this to say:

The commissioner then focused on the rules of the collective bargaining agreement and NFL’s own bylaws:

While Goodell is 100 percent correct in his stance, this provides the distinct possibility that the Brady appeal will go to court should the commissioner rule against the New England Patriots quarterback. There has been precedent set by the Missouri Supreme Court, which threw out Goodell’s power in arbitration matters, player appeals included.

In regards to whether he can stay neutral during this process, the much-maligned commissioner had this to say:

As we have indicated in the past, Goodell is playing his hand here. He knows the union plans on challenging his power in court — power that he fully believes exists within the parameters of the collective bargaining agreement. Power that may in fact be questioned by the feds should this go to court.

Brady’s appeal is set to be heard on June 23.

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