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This week in the NFL has been anything but boring especially with training camp opening along with the hiring of the first official female NFL coach. Roger Goodell capitalized on all of these events, by finally giving the verdict on two pending suspensions which included NFL players, Le Veon Bell, and Tom Brady.
First up is Le’Veon Bell’s suspension because he has a more positive outcome. For those who don’t know, Bell is a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers who was arrested in August of 2014. He was arrested for a DUI and possession of marijuana which resulted in him being suspended for the first three games of the season. Bell and his attorneys along with the NFL Players Union appealed this suspension with the argument that his suspension occurred when the old substance abuse policy was in effect, not the new policy. Fortunately for Bell, his appeal worked and his suspension was reduced from 3 games to 2 games. This settlement was agreed upon by the NFL and the NFL Players Association based on the difference in the substance abuse policies. Bell is a key part of the Steelers offensive line with 8 touchdowns last year and he has been making an impact on the team ever since being drafted in 2013. Bell was eligible to play Week 3 against the St. Louis Rams.
The world has been watching and waiting to see what happens with Tom Brady. As soon as “deflategate” was brought to the media’s attention, it has been a whirlwind. If you’ve been living under a rock since before the Superbowl, “Deflategate” refers to an incident in which air was deflated out of New England Patriots game balls before the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. That is a simple version of what happened which prompted an investigation within the NFL, resulting in the Patriots being fined 1 million dollars and loss of their first-round 2016 draft pick along with a fourth round 2017 draft pick and a four-game suspension of quarterback, Tom Brady.
Brady decided to appeal the suspension almost immediately which resulted in a 10-hour long trial on June 23rd where a final decision was not reached. However, today NFL commissioner Roger Goodell read the verdict for Brady and the world to see. Goodell would not be appealing Brady’s suspension due to the fact that Brady was uncooperative in turning over his cell phone. In a report published by Goodell, Goodell discussed how Brady “destroyed his phone” before the investigators had a chance to look at it. Brady tried to defend the destroyed cell phone without any reasonable evidence which is some of the reason why the suspension was not reduced. Brady will be eligible to play Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts and Brady is able to participate in training camp and the preseason. Right now, it looks like the Patriots are going to be led by backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo which could end up really good or really bad. So far, Brady has not released a statement, but you can read Roger Goodell’s full ruling.
