New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension reportedly will not be heard by the Wednesday deadline.
The appeal was supposed to be heard within 10 days of filing, according to terms of the collective-bargaining agreement, but sources told The Associated Press that a hearing has not been scheduled. It is possible the NFL and the NFL Players Association have agreed to delay it.
Brady was suspended by the league on May 11 after league-appointed independent investigator Ted Wells determined that Brady “was at least generally aware of” deflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game. Brady was banned for the first four games of next season, and the Patriots were fined $1 million and penalized two draft picks.
The NFLPA formally appealed Brady’s suspension on May 14, pushing for an independent arbiter to hear the case. After the NFL said commissioner Roger Goodell would hear the appeal, the NFLPA asked that Goodell recuse himself, and the NFL reportedly declined — although the league said Friday that no final decision had been made, which might explain the delay.
At the conclusion of the NFL owners’ spring meetings in San Francisco last Wednesday, Goodell said he looked forward to hearing from Brady.
“I’m not going to get into hypotheticals,” Goodell said. “I look forward to hearing directly from Tom. … I have great admiration and respect for Tom Brady. But the rules have to be enforced on a uniform basis. They apply to everybody in the league. … We put the game ahead of everything.”
The union called Goodell a “central witness in the appeal hearing,” adding that he is not impartial.
“The players also believe that the Commissioner’s history of inconsistently issuing discipline against our players makes him ill-suited to hear this appeal in a fair-minded manner,” the NFLPA wrote last Tuesday. “If the NFL believes the Ted Wells report has credibility because it is independent, then the NFL should embrace our request for an independent review.”
Peterson plans to skip OTAs
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson plans to skip this week’s organized team activities and possibly send a message that he still wants to be traded.
A source close to Peterson told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night that Peterson has not wavered privately about his wish to continue his career with another franchise.
Peterson reportedly has already made ownership and the Vikings’ front office aware that he wanted a trade in face-to-face meetings this offseason.
Peterson, who missed 15 games last season because of a child-abuse incident, has been disgruntled because he does not believe the Vikings organization did enough to get him back on the field last year.
Coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman have said the team has no plans to deal Peterson, who has three years left on his contract.
The 30-year-old Peterson was reinstated by the NFL in April, returning to active status for the first time since September, when child-abuse charges involving his 4-year-old son led to seven months on the sideline.
Peterson has spent his entire career with the Vikings. Since being drafted out of Oklahoma in 2007, he has rushed for 10,190 yards and 86 touchdowns.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press first reported that Peterson won’t be at the start of the three-day team workouts, which begin Tuesday, and will remain at his home in Texas.
Yahoo Sports reported Peterson intends to sit out all of the team’s offseason workouts — an act that would cause him to forfeit a $250,000 workout bonus — and has not yet made a decision about sitting out the team’s mandatory minicamp from June 16-18 or training camp in late July. The Vikings also have OTAs June 2-4 and June 8-11.
Peterson, who last year participated in OTAs and minicamps, has three years and $44.25 million left on his Vikings contract, including $12.75 million in 2015, but none of the money is guaranteed.
Peterson can be fined $12,155 for missing the first day of mandatory minicamp, $24,300 for missing the second day, and $36,465 for missing the third day — or up to $72,920.
Broncos player hit by car
Denver Broncos cornerback Tevrin Brandon was hospitalized briefly after suffering minor injuries when he was struck by a car while crossing the street in Belmar, N.J., on Sunday.
Police believe that Brandon was hit by a Ford F-150 pickup, and the driver then fled the scene.
Brandon, 24, is expected to participate in Broncos’ organized team activities, which start Wednesday.
Bucs hope to host Super Bowl
The owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are pushing to upgrade Raymond James Stadium for the team to have a chance to host one of the Super Bowls in 2019 and 2020.
Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune reported the Buccaneers and the team owners — the Glazer family — are “currently negotiating” with the Tampa Sports Authority and Hillsborough County officials on plans to refurbish the 17-year-old stadium.
Four cities — Miami, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Atlanta — have been invited to bid for the right to host the next two available Super Bowls in 2019 and 2020. All the bids will go before NFL owners for a vote next May.
Schwartz to work for NFL
Former Detroit Lions coach and Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will serve as a consultant to the NFL’s officiating department for the 2015 season.
He reportedly will provide a coach’s perspective with some of the decisions made by the officiating office.
Schwartz spent last season as the defensive coordinator of the Bills.