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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell continues to defend his handling of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension involving Deflategate. Goodell reiterated he is willing to consider changes to some areas of the discipline policy but nothing that involves the integrity of the game.
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"I am not going to hand off the integrity of the NFL to somebody who does not understand our business," Goodell said Friday morning on ESPN's "Mike & Mike" radio show. "That is what we're going to maintain when it comes to the integrity of the game. Maybe something as it relates to the drug program and whether proper protocol is followed? I get it. Go ahead. Somebody else can make that decision. But when it comes to integrity of the game, that is the commissioner's responsibilities and has been since the day the NFL was formed."
Goodell said players lost out on a more equitable disciplinary process by rejecting a recent NFL proposal.
The NFL Players Association had pursued arbitration to address concerns that the league's personal conduct policy violated the terms of its collective bargaining agreement. Arbitrator Jonathan B. Marks rejected the NFLPA's claims earlier this month.
"We had significant discussions over the last six months," Goodell said on ESPN Radio. "In fact, I think there was some real beneficial changes to the system that at the end of the day the union rejected. They went forward with the Marks arbitration, and the Marks arbitration reinforced our position again.
"I think that was a loss for the players. It was unfortunate. We were willing to make some changes that were better than what ultimately ended up in that Marks decision for the players."
Based on a 2-1 vote of a three-judge federal panel, the appeals court on Monday reversed a federal judge's ruling from September, siding with the Goodell in a battle with the players union.
Goodell gave no indication whether he would be willing to negotiate a settlement with Brady.
"We had a lot of discussions last summer," Goodell said Friday. "There were a lot of offers back and forth about what to do to settle the issue. They chose to pursue the issue and we chose to move forward and we are where we are."
Brady has 14 days to file an appeal after Monday's ruling. If an appeal is filed, the suspension is stayed. If the appeals court then chooses not to hear the appeal, the suspension would stand. If the appeals court chooses to hear an appeal to the decision made by the three-judge panel, the appeal would be heard by the entire 13-judge court.
The NFL originally handed Brady a four-game suspension for his alleged involvement in the deflation of footballs before the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 18, 2015.
In September, district judge Richard M. Berman vacated the suspension and Brady was able to play throughout the 2015 season.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft did not appeal the Patriots' $1 million fine and the loss of a first-round pick in Thursday night's draft and a fourth-rounder in 2017 as part of the penalties.
Brady is now slated to miss games against the Arizona Cardinals (Sept. 11), Miami Dolphins (Sept. 18), Houston Texans (Sept. 22) and Buffalo Bills (Oct. 2). He would be eligible to make his regular-season debut in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 9.
