It seems New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's appeal of his four-game Deflategate suspension may be facing further opposition than just the NFL itself. A recent report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that a group of "influential" owners are pushing the league to uphold the four-game suspension.
"Per the source, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is being pushed by a small handful of influential owners to hold firm on the four-game suspension. Working against that pressure, however, is the fear that the four-game suspension would be wiped out by a federal court."
The league's fear of a federal court overturning the decision is not unfounded. Earlier this year, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had his suspension vacated after successfully pursuing the matter in federal court.
As HNGN has lain out before, Brady has ample options should the league decide to uphold the suspension in full. It's likely the future Hall of Famer would file an injunction to ensure that he is on the field for Week One and also that he'd have at least some, if not all, of the suspension reduced via the legal system.
Still, what's most interesting about Florio's report is the fact that several of the league's "influential" - whatever such a nebulous term means - owners want to see Brady banned for all four games. Of course, there are questions of fair play and gamesmanship at the heart of the entire Deflategate saga, so it's very possible said owners simply want to see the ban stick in order to ensure that future potential "cheating" issues don't again arise.
On the other hand, there has been ample talk this offseason and in seasons past that many people in the league are frustrated and concerned by the oddly close relationship between Goodell and Patriots owner Robert Kraft and reports have suggested on more than one occasion that perhaps certain parties wouldn't mind seeing the Patriots run of dominance brought to an end, one way or another.
