That some or most here may see the scenario I painted as unlikely here doesn't change the very realistic possibility that one way or the other, Goodell has made it clear to Brady's camp that the suspension will not being reduced without his agreement not to continue the fight.
Why is it nonsense for Goodell to view it that way? In Goodell's shoes, who would want to cut the suspension only to watch Brady then litigate with Goodell already effectively admitting that the original sentence was flawed? Wouldn't the better posture for Goodell in the face of litigation be for him to go in strong? "We were right in the first place, we're right now, there was no new evidence, our process was sound, etc."
As to Brady, if he is uninterested in anything other than total exoneration, he simply says "no thank you" to whoever approaches him or his camp. Easy.
As to Goodell dropping the suspension entirely, talk about dropping the crack pipe. The notion that Goodell would do a complete about face is a joke. The notion that he would look for a way to end this thing by putting a carrot in front of Brady is, despite all the rhetoric here, totally understandable. If Goodell wants this thing to go away without litigation, the only realistic path is to secure a deal from Brady. Now I agree that Brady is not likely to agree to that. But that doesn't change the fact that Goodell has only one possible means of achieving that objective.
Myt1, you have accused me before of making the mistake of not just admitting that I am wrong when challenged. If I thought I was wrong, I would do that. Easily. I have no problem admitting when I am wrong. Most of us are wrong on a relatively frequent basis since we are not Spock or Belichick.
I have re-examined aspects and adjusted aspects of my thinking in part. For one, I think that Goodell is more likely just to uphold the 4 games and not even try for a deal. If he does try for a deal, I hear the points about Kraft and think it is less likely than I did originally that Kraft would be the intermediary. I don't think it's preposterous that Kraft would be involved and I think his relationship with Goodell and Brady makes it possible that he would do something in a very informal way. But yup, there are risks, and it could easily be someone else. Goodell could achieve insulation in a variety of ways that did not involve Kraft, including by having his lawyers have a hypothetical conversation with Brady's or the NFLPA, which is a frequently used tactic in negotiations.
PS: The talk about Goodell being both Judge and Litigant strikes me as somewhat academic. While the situation is utterly FUBAR, the reality is that Goodell, by choosing to hear the appeal, put himself in exactly that position. He is the Commissioner of the NFL and he's judging the case. He cannot separate himself and I don't see him neatly separating his two roles. This is messy. It's a mess of his choosing. But it's messy.
