The bitter feelings around Tom Brady’s suspension continued to escalate yesterday as the NFL Players Association took aim at Roger Goodell.
NFL lawyers recommended that Goodell should not recuse himself from hearing Brady’s appeal, sources told the Associated Press. League spokesman Greg Aiello said no final decision had been made, but Goodell does not intend to yield his right to judge Brady, the sources said.
The move came the same day NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith criticized Goodell in a potential preview of how the union will attack the league during Brady’s appeal.
Goodell has the right to hear the appeal, according to the league’s collective bargaining agreement, but the union believes he is an integral figure in the Brady punishment and intends to call him as a witness at the hearing.