New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is joining in on the criticism of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s four game suspension was reinstated.
The Super Bowl champion quarterback spoke with For The Win USA Today about the amount of power Goodell wields and how it has affected the “Deflategate” case. (RELATED: BREAKING: Circuit Court Reinstates Brady’s 4-Game ‘Deflategate’ Suspension)
He said the following when asked about Brady’s suspension being reinstated:
Brees: Yeah, I was, because I thought the issue was over. There’s a bigger issue at play. I don’t think it’s necessarily about Brady. I think it’s more about the commissioner’s authority to levy that type of a punishment, and him be the unilateral decision maker when it comes to player discipline on a lot of those decisions. If there’s any disagreements, there’s no level of neutrality. ‘This is my decision, this is how it’s going to be.
There’s no level of transparency as to the investigative processes. That’s the part that’s hard to understand and to deal with from a player’s perspective, and from a fan’s perspective, as they read it and try to understand why certain things have happened. What’s the basis? What are the grounds? What are the facts? We never get to see that.
Brady’s suspension was reinstated after a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in favor of the NFL. (RELATED: Massachusetts Attorney General Hammers The NFL Over ‘Deflategate’)
The New Orleans Saints aren’t a stranger to the amount of power that Commissioner Goodell possesses. Several Saints players and coaches were suspended for “Bounty-Gate” when the NFL punished them for a system that rewarded players for hurting opponents. (SLIDESHOW: This Gorgeous Olympian Loves To Show Off Lots Of Skin)
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