NFL Opts to Stand Firm on Tom Brady Ban
Tom Brady did all he could to reverse his four-game suspension. Ultimately, the NFL stood firm on their original four-game ban due to Brady’s expected involvement in deflating footballs prior to games. Brady and the league were reportedly involved in rigorous settlement talks and had closed in on a potential reduced sentence, but ultimately the league opted to save face and keep one of their star players’ ban in place.
The New England Patriots march forward without their four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the first four weeks of the year, when they’ll face off with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys. Brady will make his return (and 2015 debut) in week six against the Indianapolis Colts, following New England’s week five bye.
Brady’s absence puts backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in a tough spot, as well as the entire franchise. One angle is an inexperienced passer being thrust into a huge role against three teams that made the playoffs a year ago. If Garoppolo falters, it could have the defending Super Bowl champs getting off to a slow start.
On the either side, Jimmy Garoppolo crushing skulls and taking names in those four weeks could stir up a quarterback controversy. After all, if a young passer is mastering the Pats’ offense and an old Brady is on the bench, some cries will beg the team to keep things as they are.
No one knows how things will play out, but the odds are Brady misses four games and then returns to help New England make yet another patented playoff run. The Patriots sit in as the fourth best team when it comes to 2015 Super Bowl odds (9/1 odds), but that could stand to change with Brady out for a quarter of the year. Then again, many people may not be overly excited to pick New England, anyways, as it’s extremely difficult to repeat.
Le’Veon Bell Gets Suspension Reduced
While it was bad news for Tom Brady and the Patriots, the Steelers got some good news. Running back Le’Veon Bell was expected to serve a three-game ban for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, but reportedly has had it reduced to two games. It’s not a huge change, as Bell will still miss the first two games of the year, but one less game is still a win for the yellow and black.
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