Tom Brady wants to take on Roger Goodell
Next Tuesday, Tom Brady will be talking to Roger Goodell about his suspension.
According to a report from ESPN, "Brady wants entire suspension removed and wants to be exonerated.
"The sense that I get right now is the Brady camp feels it will ragdoll the entire NFL's case and that Roger Goodell will be overwhelmed by the avalanche of problems with the Wells Report," said Tom E. Curran. "We can see the momentum already building, can't we? … What we're looking at over the next few days is a little bit of momentum building and maybe even a sense of more things to come.
Momentum is only as good as the topnotch legal team one can compile. In the O.J. Simpson case, the prosecution was represented by Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden. The defense team representing the accused double murderer O.J. Simpson had a slew of big name attorneys. Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz, F. Lee Bailey, Barry Scheck, Robert Shapiro, Robert Kardashian, Gerry Ural and a host of others who worked behind the scenes and were able to manage an acquittal in the most famous trial of the 20th century.
The Tom Brady trial is taking shape as both sides prepare for battle. Tom Brady may want the entire four game suspension removed, but he had better be prepared for what is coming. If he thinks NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is going to roll over, Tom is sadly mistaken. Tom will be treading in unchartered waters.
The New England signal caller may feel comfortable on the gridiron in the pocket protected by his offensive line. Tom Brady may feel equally comfortable in the courtroom protected by his lawyers. If he has to take the witness stand, it won't be Roger Goodell who will be worried about being buried alive.
It is true that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell dropped the ball in the Ray Rice case. The initial two game suspension for Rice was the first mistake made by the commissioner in what turned out to be one of the worst years for the NFL. The Super Bowl provided some relief from news on DeFlateGate. Since the Malcolm Butler interception, the media coverage has been overwhelming.
Bob Kraft decided against the fight with the NFL and accepted his punishment. This set the stage for the heavyweight bout on June 23rd of Brady versus Goodell. I hope Tom Brady keeps his cool and lets his lawyers do the talking. For Brady, this is a road game. If Tom were to take the stand in his own defense, I predict a knockout for Roger.
There won't be any smiles whether it is a one, two or four game suspension, or none at all. The line in the sand has already been drawn.
Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire. .
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