New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said last month that he was hopeful quarterback Tom Brady would play in the season opener.
That may happen, but not for the reason most assumed when Kraft's comments were published.
Tom Brady sticking to his original defense a poor strategy in Deflategate appeal?
CBS Sports is speculating that the four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback will play in the 2016 season opener because NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell won't abolish all of Brady's four-game suspension, and that will bring a lawsuit from Brady.
That process alone would push the suspension into the season, CBS Sports reported, because of the time the NFL has to respond and the time Brady would have to respond to the NFL's response.
That outcome is different than what Bleacher Report's Jason Cole thinks will happen in the Deflategate case.
Cole said that Brady's appeal and the information that came out to refute the Wells report that the NFL used the criteria to give Brady his four-game sentence has given the league reason to bring serious doubt as to the validity of the Wells report.
Then why punish Brady at all?
"The problem that the NFL still has is that they believe from a common sense standard, if you look at the text messages that Ted Wells was able to get from the two people involved (Patriots equipment personnel James McNally and John Jastremski) with the footballs, they believe that Brady was still involved somehow in the deflation of the football," Cole said.
"And ultimately they want to make sure that some kind of suspension sticks."
Cole, too, says that the NFL is reluctant to announce anything quickly until league officials have assurances that Brady will not file a lawsuit against them.
That would seemingly put the maximum suspension at two games and maybe even one game to ensure that the NFL was able to punish Brady.
CBS also sees the suspension being reduced to one game, but for a different reason.
Because of the possible Brady lawsuit, he would be able to play in the season opener, with rating skyrocketing. The league would realize Brady's value and Brady wouldn't want to risk missing games late in the season.
"Eventually the two sides will reach a settlement in court and Brady will serve a one-game suspension -- you certainly don't want to risk being suspended too late in the year, a.k.a. the playoffs -- with my guess being Week 3 (home against the Jaguars) or Week 9 (home against the Redskins)."
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