Tom Brady Doesn’t Put Best Face Forward In Courtroom Sketch

The league suspended Brady for four games over his alleged role in a scheme to deflate footballs, making them easier to grip, in the Patriots’ 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in a January play-off game.

Ironically, what some are calling sketch-gate has brought her extra money selling all those Tom Brady sketches, along with unprecedented attention. He met privately with both sides briefly before a hearing Wednesday and then spent nearly five hours with each party behind closed doors after the hearing to discuss a possible resolution as well. Neither of them spoke and there was no immediate word on the status of talks. The judge asked if it matters whether the deflation of the footballs actually aided Brady.

Eighty percent of the players say Tom Brady’s four-game suspension is too long.

“I don’t know what the big deal is”, she said.

It seems judge Richard Berman is just as mystified. The players union, which is fighting the suspension, maintains there is no proof balls were deflated.

When the union got its chance to argue, the judge asked attorney Jeffrey L. Kessler why two Patriots employees would deflate balls without Brady’s knowledge. The judge also emphasized that his questioning wasn’t a sign of how he would rule. At one point the judge said according to the New York Daily News: “From a legal perspective you have to be able to show that conspirators intended to be in a conspiracy… is there a meeting?” He made statements on Wednesday in open court that sounded a bit like threats to both sides.

In an email after everyone left court, Kessler said: “Sorry, not commenting”.

Goodell walked out of the courthouse about 10 minutes after Brady exited, as seen in the picture below tweeted by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, with some spectators shouting “cheater, cheater” toward the Super Bowl MVP.

He also referred a “question in my mind” as to the independence of NFL investigator Ted Wells, whose report was used by the league as a basis to justify the suspension, which NFL commissioner Roger Goodell upheld on July 28. Brady insists he knew nothing about it.

The NFL Players Association, which is representing Brady, wants the quarterback to serve no suspension and not admit any guilt about either directing or knowing about the use of underinflated footballs.

They called a June appeal hearing before Goodell ‘a kangaroo court proceeding bereft of fundamentally fair procedures’.