Roger Goodell does not regret how Tom Brady case was handled
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he has no regrets about his handling of the Deflategate case, reportsThe Washington Post.
“It’s simply about our rights under our collective bargaining agreement,” Goodell said. “This isn’t about any individual player, any individual incident. This is about the rights that we negotiated in 2011, the rights for us to have the authority to make sure we discipline.”
On Sept. 3, U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman nullified Goodell’s four-game suspension of Brady, which allowed him to play Week 1. Brady has since led the Patriots to a 3–0 start this year.
The NFL filed an appeal on Berman’s decision, which will be heard in the first week of February 2016. The decision means Brady is likely to play the entire 2015 season before the next ruling.
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Goodell also told reporters that he still has respect and admiration for Brady.
“I know him personally,” Goodell said. “As I say, I admire him tremendously. He is a future Hall of Fame player. But our rules apply to everybody. They apply to every single player. And every single player expects those rules to apply to everybody. Every coach does. Every fan does. Every partner, every team does.”
The Patriots will play the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET in Texas.
- Christopher Chavez
