No matter the outcome of the Tom Brady's appeal of his four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate, the NFL stands to lose credibility.
A solution to the Deflategate dilemma does exist, but it would require old-school thinking on the part of the NFL rules committee and owners: denying quarterbacks the opportunity to "prepare" footballs to suit their own personal preferences before games.
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Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to issue a ruling on the appeal by the New England Patriots quarterback over events that took place during the AFC Championship Game in January and the findings in the subsequent Wells report investigation into the incident.
ESPN is reporting that any Goodell decision involving missed playing time for Brady - even if the suspension is reduced to a single game - will prompt the NFL Players Association to contest that ruling in federal court.
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The reported added that Brady wouldn't automatically challenge a ruling that resulted only in a fine, only that he would consider issuing a challenge.
Brady and then Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in 2006 convince the NFL to allow teams to supply their own 12 footballs for their offense for each game.
"Changing the rule to allow each offense to supply its own footballs would make the game more fair, Manning and Brady argued," according to a USA TODAY Sports article in January. "It would prohibit a home team from suddenly handing a visiting quarterback one of those dreaded fresh-from-the-box footballs for an important drive with minutes left in a tight game."
Armed with this latest evidence in which "common sense" dictates that something was amiss during the AFC championship game because on one team's footballs were underinflated, the NFL could save face by eliminating Brady's suspension but insisting that balls no longer can be doctored before games.
While Brady may win the legal battle, the NFL would come off looking nearly as strong by eliminating the rule. If the goal is to ensure the integrity of the game, banning teams from being allowed to supply their own footballs - a rule Brady helped institute - would do the trick.
In such a scenario, Brady may win the battle but lose the war.
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