Ever since the NFL handed down a four-game suspension for Tom Brady on Monday, we’ve been waiting for official word of an appeal from the Patriots quarterback.
It came on Thursday afternoon. The NFLPA released a statement confirming that Brady is appealing the suspension and included a call for the league to have a third-party arbitrator hear the appeal rather than by NFL Commissoner Roger Goodell or someone appointed by Goodell.
“Given the NFL’s history of inconsistency and arbitrary decisions in disciplinary matters, it is only fair that a neutral arbitrator hear this appeal,” the statement reads. “If Ted Wells and the NFL believe, as their public comments stated, that the evidence in their report is ‘direct’ and ‘inculpatory,’ then they should be confident enough to present their case before someone who is truly independent.”
Brady has lined up attorney Jeffrey Kessler to be part of his legal team for the appeal, which must be heard within 10 days.