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BEREA, Ohio — Offensive tackle Joe Thomas would like to have seen Tom Brady take his DeflateGate case to the Supreme Court. "I was disappointed that he didn't keep appealing, from a player's standpoint," Thomas said Saturday at Cleveland Browns training camp. "Because it kind of gives the commissioner a little bit more power that maybe was not necessarily already negotiated or settled." Thomas has been a vocal critic of Roger Goodell and his actions in the case involving the New England Patriots quarterback.  Thomas said during camp last year that Goodell goes on "witch hunts," and that if he believes a player "is sort of guilty of some level of crime they [the NFL] just try to destroy him." He compared the case against Brady for allegedly deflating game footballs to "driving 66 [mph] in a 65 speed zone and getting the death penalty."
Brady was suspended four games prior to last season for allegedly being involved in deflating game footballs for the AFC Championship Game in January 2015. Brady denied it, but the league suspended him on May 11, 2015, for the first four games of the season. Brady appealed to the league; Goodell heard the appeal himself and on July 28 announced the suspension would not be reduced. Brady took his case to U.S. District Court, which ruled in his favor. The league took the case to the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals, which ruled in the league's favor. Brady asked the case be re-heard, the court said no. Brady's only recourse was to take his case to the Supreme Court, but he chose not to continue the legal fight and accepted the suspension. "I think that everyone just got kind of sick of appealing that," Thomas said. Thomas did hint that the players union is considering further action. "I guess maybe the NFLPA might sue on his behalf down the line to try to balance the commissioner's powers, so I'm not sure," Thomas said. The NFLPA released a statement after the Appeals Court decision saying it would review its options.
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