Patriots could appeal loss of draft picks, $1M fine

Roger Goodell soon won't be laughing at anything
Strap in, folks. We're just getting started.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is reporting what many feel the Patriots could and should do, and that is to appeal the loss of a 2016 first round draft pick, a 2017 fourth round draft pick, and a $1 million fine the organization was slapped with as part of the Deflategate punishment.

The Patriots have a legitimate case here. Brady was suspended for messing with the integrity of a football game and not cooperating with Ted Wells' investigation. Fine. Or is it?

He gets four games for that, meanwhile Ray Rice gets half of that for putting someone's life in danger? There's a giant loophole here waiting to be exposed. And, according to the Wells Report, the Patriots cooperated with the investigation. Troy Vincent didn't see it that way. Hey look, another giant loophole!

As previously noted, the NFL Players Association is going to push for owner Robert Kraft to ask for a neutral arbitrator to determine a fair punishment for Brady and the organization. If the Patriots decide to appeal the punishment, which seems like a foregone conclusion that they will, the need for a neutral party would seem even more apparent.

All appeals to this point would be heard by Commissioner Roger Goodell or one of his cronies.

What could happen if the Patriots lose an appeal?

It’s also possible that the Patriots and their lawyers will consider the possibility of conjuring a possible lawsuit, in the event the appeal is unsuccessful. Peter King of TheMMQB.com and NBC’s Football Night in America thinks it’s possible that Kraft will decide to “go rogue” and sue. It’s possible that Kraft will simply want the league to fear litigation when processing an appeal, in the hopes that Kraft will be placated by a reduction in the penalties.

There's also been talk of Brady suing the league for defamation of character. But that's another story for another time.

The world knows by this point that Brady is going to appeal his suspension, and many people feel that he'll win it. What he gets it reduced to is anyone's guess.

This is only just the beginning, and it could get really ugly for the NFL. The Patriots are not going to lay down and die.

Bet on it.

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