Tom Brady

It sure doesn't sound like Roger Goodell will reduce Tom Brady's suspension

Published Apr. 27, 2016 2:13 p.m. ET

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FS1’s Colin Cowherd had Roger Goodell on “The Herd” Wednesday, and it didn’t take long for the host to get around to asking the NFL commissioner the question New England Patriots fans are asking in the wake of Monday’s U.S. Appeals Court decision to reinstate quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game Deflategate suspension.

Cowherd: "What if a very convincing owner that you respected said, 'Let’s lower it to two (games). It’s bad PR, it seems too harsh.' Would you listen to it?"

Goodell: "I listen to everybody …  but we’ve had these discussions. This was an issue just about a year ago, I think, right after I left the draft. When we make these decisions, it’s with a tremendous amount of thought, a tremendous amount of consideration. Our staff worked very hard on it, and I think that we have given that full consideration. We’re careful — and this is where the commissioner’s authority is important — we don’t allow individual clubs to influence an outcome with respect to discipline because it can affect other clubs. The rules of the league, obviously, the competitiveness of the league, that’s handed to the commissioner by the 32 clubs for exactly that reason — to avoid any club getting a competitive advantage. So, while I listen — I obviously will take anything into consideration, and sometimes it’s meaningful, sometimes there’s another point that is in my view more powerful or our staff may view more powerful — you have to balance that. And recognizing, Colin, that it’s not likely that I’m going to find a solution that everyone is going to agree on."

That’s a lot of carefully chosen words from the commissioner, but his message was clear: Don’t expect the him to take the suspension down a notch without being told he has to by a higher court, and that doesn’t appear likely.

The NFLPA could appeal the decision to the full 2nd Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court, but it likely would be a time-consuming climb even if the courts took the unusual step to consider it. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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