Two pages on the "source" that supposedly fed Florio and ESPN a story about a "settlement"?
I just don't understand when in the course of the 200 or so pages that have been written about deflategate that we finally conclude that these guys will call anyone a "source," that these "sources" have their own motivations and are frequently uninformed, and that it's more likely than not that their reports are wrong. This is all, very likely, horseshit and speculation by people who have no fucking idea what they are talking about or have an agenda. From the "settlement" to the owners to the rest of it.
Occam's razor: The league, via Covington, is drafting an opinion that will affirm the suspension and try the best it can to fix or moot errors that have been identified in the Wells Report, blunt procedural errors, and create a document that will stand as best it can on things that are harder to review (like credibility). It is taking a while because this has become more than about Brady -- this is now lined up as something of a make-or-break test case about the commissioner's authority. This is not the ideal case to litigate that issue, so they are being careful with it. And maybe they are also happy letting Brady and the Patriots twist in the wind a bit, while also making it so that the timing of the appeal coincides with the football season, when everybody stops giving a shit about anything but what's on the field.
I will be happy if I'm wrong. Do I think the NFL, or more appropriately the lawyers at Covington and Pash are having a bit of a difficult time with this one? Yes, of course. One the one hand, they have a case with holes in it, and they don't really want this to be the test case on issues that are vitally important to their client. On the other, they have a client for whom the issue seems to be personally important and whose reputation and job will take a serious hit, not to mention his standing with some of his biggest powerful constituents, if he backs down. They have the equally pesky problem that they docked the team two draft picks and a shitload of money, making it hard to backtrack. That is not an enviable spot, so the notion that they might like to find some face saving way out this has some intuitive appeal. But there is absolutely nothing to suggest there is a compromise to be had here, and I think Florio has had it right the entire way. They will affirm the suspension, do the best they can to make it bulletproof, and then ride out the appeal during the season.