Is Tom Brady Making the Right Move By Remaining Silent Before His Appeal?
 Tom Brady has been silent since announcing his plans to appeal his four-game suspension with the NFL for the Deflate-gate fiasco. (USA TODAY Images) |
It was announced a few days ago that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension will be heard by the NFL on Tuesday, June 23 with a continuation, if necessary on June 25.
Meanwhile the debate rages on whether or not Brady’s silence on the matter is a sound decision.
With the media in full attendance for OTAs on Friday, Brady jogged off the field at the end of the session without speaking to the assembled throng. On Friday evening at his annual touch football game for Best Buddies at Harvard Stadium, Brady broke with tradition and didn’t speak at halftime with the media in attendance.
Normally he holds court and pumps his charity and answers a few questions about football. But on Friday, the event staffers put up ropes at halftime and the media was told to keep their distance. Brady hasn’t spoken with the media since his suspension was announced by the NFL on May 11. Other than a reference to Deflate-gate at Salem State, Brady hasn’t spoken a word to the media about the fiasco since before the Super Bowl on January 22.
Bill Belichick after the OTA session refused to discuss Deflate-gate, the loss of draft picks, Brady’s suspension or even the Super Bowl, stating the team wasn’t looking backward but forward to 2015.
All very smart decisions; Brady if anything during the media feeding frenzy before the Super Bowl spoke too much.
Debate continues to rage on about this matter but Brady is getting sound advice to remain mum on this. While some in the media believe that his silence is akin to admitting guilt, I totally disagree.
Brady has nothing to gain by speaking prior to his appeal. The court of public opinion outside of New England wouldn’t be swayed towards his side no matter what is said or presented.
His lawyers and the NFLPA have the Wells Report and there is enough information both in it and not in it to properly make their case. Their case of bias by the NFL towards Brady and the Patriots has plenty of ammo. Why the NFL didn’t refute the obvious way over-the-top Mort Report “facts” that 11 of the 12 Patriots footballs were more than two pounds under the PSI limits of the league prior to the Patriots press conference of Jan.22 speaks of either bias or blatant stupidity…neither good for the league.
Brady is is making the right decision by just focusing on football for the time being. The Patriots have OTAs on June 1, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12 and then the mandatory mini-camp on June 16-18. They’ll then have a break before training camp starts around the end of July.
After mini-camp will be the perfect time to handle his appeal at the league offices and decide whether or not to pursue the matter further after his case is heard by Commissioner Roger Goodell. Then he can decide whether or not to speak to the media and have time to prepare for training camp and deal with only football issues once the pads come on and the season’s work begins in earnest.
If …and it is a big if, after his appeal is heard and no further action is necessary, that will be the time for Brady to be heard. He should sit down with a member from the local media and tell his side of the story, in detail and answer all questions that remain. The Patriots already have the pieces in place thru their own website and PFW.
Given the way that most of the national media has jumped on his “more probable than not” guilt, it would be understandable if he eschewed most of their outlets.
But has Tom Brady made the right decision to stay mum on the Deflate-gate punishment and appeal? Absolutely.
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