New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is expected to file an appeal of his four-game suspension, handed down to him in the wake of the DeflateGate scandal and the findings of the Wells Report.
According to the latest report, Brady's appeal is not only expected to be successful enough to get a game or two trimmed off, but it may also get the suspension overturned altogether.
ESPN's Adam Schefter, while appearing on an episode of "The Herd With Colin Cowherd," received a text message from a source who revealed that Brady's representatives are already hard at work attempting to clear his name and could, potentially, get the suspension overturned.
"Brady's team is unreal," the source said, per Schefter, via NESN.com. "Talented, big-name lawyers: Yee, Kessler, etc. Prediction=won't miss a game."
According to Schefter, the Patriots are incensed over the findings of the Wells Report and the punishments meted out thereafter.
"Anger. There's nothing to be anxious about," Schefter said. "They know what the penalties are. They know the fight that's ahead. They don't think they've been treated fairly, and they feel like it's time for them to defend their reputation. "I think they're angry, that they don't feel - they don't feel, I know everyone feels differently - they don't feel they did anything wrong. They don't feel like they deflated footballs, they knowingly deflated footballs, they were treated fairly by the NFL. It sounds crazy to people on the outside who say, 'You can't break the rules of the game, you violated the integrity of the game.' I'm just telling you, from their vantage point, they don't believe they did anything wrong."
As has been pointed out frequently since the Wells Report was published, much of the evidence in the findings seems circumstantial, but there's also ample smoke which could potentially point to a fairly decent-sized fire.
Earlier today, for instance, HNGN took a look at a statistical analysis of the unmatched ball security the Pats have shown in recent seasons. The research shows a massive change in the amount of fumbles per offensive play run by the Patriots since a rule change, pushed by Brady and Peyton Manning, was enacted in 2006, which allows all quarterbacks pre-game access to the footballs their team is to use on offense.
Again, it's a lot of circumstantial evidence and if Schefter's source is correct, could lead to a reduction and, potentially, complete dismissal of the four-game suspension currently facing the future Hall of Famer.
