The Facts: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will not hear Brady's appeal of his recent four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate controversy before the appointed deadline.
Diehards Line:
According to the league's collective bargaining agreement, the appeal must be heard within 10 days of its filing unless the league and the filing party agree to delay the hearing. On May 11, the NFL suspended Brady for the first four games of the 2015 season, fined the Patriots $1 million and docked the team two draft picks. The NFL Players Association filed an appeal on behalf of Brady on May 14, pushing for an independent arbiter to hear the case. Later that same day, the NFL announced in a rare move that Goodell would personally hear the appeal. The NFLPA could have possibly "delayed the clock" on the traditional 10-day timetable when it formally requested Goodell's recusal, according to SI.com legal analyst Michael McCann.