How long could Brady be suspended? The estimates
The waiting game can be the hardest of them all. For Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, it could end with a historic suspension.
No decision had been reached on punishment for Brady by Saturday afternoon, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Boston.com. But speculation about the duration of a possible suspension has been making headlines since the release of Ted Wells’ report on Deflategate.
How long could Brady be suspended? What you believe depends on what you read.
Citing several unnamed sources described as having “a good sense of what goes on’’ at the NFL’s headquarters, New York Daily News NFL columnist Gary Myers reported on Friday that Brady will be suspended, not just for violating rules but for not fully cooperating with investigators.
Then there’s this, from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, quoting a league source: “Everything is being studied, everything is being considered.’’
The source is described as knowing about league disciplinary procedures.
Brady and the Patriots can only sit idly by as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell weighs possible punishments following Wednesday’s Wells report, which found it was “more probable than not’’ that Patriots staffers deflated game balls, probably with Brady’s knowledge.
Any suspension for the four-time Super Bowl MVP would potentially taint the legacy of a quarterback many consider the greatest of all time.
Below is a look at the range of suspensions that have been reported by those speaking with sources connected to either the Patriots or the NFL:
Two games
The Daily News’ Myers estimated Brady would miss two games. He noted that could come as a two-game suspension or a four-game suspension reduced to two games upon appeal.
Six-eight games
“Sources with the Patriots I have spoken with tell me they are fearful of a lengthy suspension, perhaps in the six- to eight-game range, for Brady in the aftermath of the Wells Report,’’ writes Comcast SportsNet’s Mike Giardi.
The entire 2015 season?
Citing his unnamed NFL source, the Herald’s Salguero said it was unlikely that Brady would face a season-long ban. But the source said it “would be wrong to dismiss such an extended and seemingly improbable length of time as the ceiling for discipline.’’
So there you have it. Brady might not be suspended. Or he could be suspended for two games. Or much longer.
If Brady doesn’t want to add to the anxiety of waiting, he may not want to read anything for the next few days.
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