At his age, that’s hard to avoid.

”I’m ready to go this year and that’s really what matters. That’s where my focus is,” Brady said. ”It’s a unique situation I’m in. I’m in my 20th year with the same team. I’m 42 years old, so pretty much-uncharted territory I think for everybody. I’m going to go out there and do the best I can this year and see what happens.”

Brady agreed to a two-year, $70 million extension through 2021 that includes an $8 million raise in 2019, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the Patriots hadn’t announced the extension. ESPN, citing an unidentified source, reported that 2020 and 2021 are void years and that Brady and the Patriots would need to negotiate further on those if he plays beyond this season.

”There’s a lot of guys who have one year left on their contract,” Brady said. ”I’ve got one year to go and we’ll see what happens.”

The Patriots are in Michigan this week, holding joint practices with the Lions in preparation for a preseason game at Detroit on Thursday night. Brady turned 42 on Saturday. Fresh off his sixth Super Bowl title, he’s shown little sign of fading at this stage of his career.

He’s said he wants to play until he’s 45. He’d be one year shy of that at the end of the 2021 season.

”You’ve got to take care of your body. I wrote a book on it, literally. I live by it and I think it’s given me pretty good results,” Brady said. ”I try to pass it on to the next generation so they don’t have to go on through the same mistakes that I did, but everyone learns different ways. Hopefully, I can be an inspiration.”

Brady’s passer rating last season was 97.7, his first time below 100 since 2014. New England still went 11-5.

Both Brady and coach Bill Belichick referenced the team’s poor performance at Detroit early last season, perhaps as a way of maintaining focus this week. The Patriots lost that game 26-10.

New England went just 3-5 on the road during the regular season, although the Patriots did win at Kansas City in the AFC title game. Then they beat the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.

”Coach reminded us of that this morning – we were 3-5 last year. I wanted to remind him we were 5-5,” Brady said. ”We won two important ones at the end, but I understand 3-5 for his argument’s sake works. But yeah, we have to be better this year. You’ve got to get into a routine. You come here and it’s a lot of things that are unfamiliar and you try to really focus on football, and our plays, and our techniques and our fundamentals.”

For now at least, Brady’s contract situation can be put aside, and the coming season can have his undivided attention.

”I love playing quarterback here. I love this team, this organization,” Brady said. ”The focus is this year and what we’ve got to do. That’s where I’m focused. That’s all that really matters in the end. That’s what this team expects of me – to put everything into it, like I always have – and I’m really excited for the year.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed to this report.

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Turning 40 turned Tom Brady into Scott Tolzien. Bill Belichick has to bench Brady and start Jimmy Garoppolo if the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots want to have any chance to repeat.

Brady completed just 44.4 percent of his passes and didn’t throw a touchdown in a 42-27 loss to Kansas City that kicked off the NFL season. It was the first time Brady completed less than half of his passes in a regular season game since Week 5 in 2013.

So what if he’s won five Super Bowls and probably is the greatest quarterback in NFL history? If Patriots fans are giving up on him – check Twitter – then he must be finished.

By the way, Brady had no turnovers, lost favorite receiver Julian Edelman in the preseason, lost replacement Danny Amendola during the game, got sacked three times and was under pressure often.

Benching Brady is easily Week 1’s top overreaction.

Here are more overreactions following opening weekend:

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OVERREACTION: Kareem Hunt is the next Ezekiel Elliott. Hunt ran for 148 yards and added 133 yards receiving in Kansas City’s win.

REALISTIC REACTION: Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook will have a say in that. Both guys ran for 100 yards in their debuts.

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OVERREACTION: Carson Wentz will lead the Eagles to the NFC East title.

REALISTIC REACTION: They were 1-point favorite to beat the Redskins on the road and did. The Cowboys are still the class of the division.

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OVERREACTION: The Ravens have a dominant defense like the crew led by Ray Lewis.

REALISTIC REACTION: They always torment Andy Dalton.

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OVERREACTION: The Jets are last year’s Browns.

REALISTIC REACTION: It’s hard to be that terrible, but New York is bad.

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OVERREACTION: T.J. Watt is better than his brother. He had two sacks and an interception in his debut with Pittsburgh.

REALISTIC REACTION: Watt’s memorable performance came against rookie DeShone Kizer, not a veteran QB.

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OVERREACTION: Matthew Stafford proved he deserved the richest contract in NFL history by tossing four TD passes vs. the Cardinals.

REALISTIC REACTION: Stafford isn’t even a lock for top 10 QBs right now.

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OVERREACTION: The Falcons won’t feel a Super Bowl hangover.

REALISTIC REACTION: A slim victory over the Bears wasn’t impressive.

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OVERREACTION: Carson Palmer is finished. He tossed three picks and missed a lot of throws in Arizona’s loss at Detroit.

REALISTIC REACTION: The 37-year-old Palmer is clearly on the decline, but he has some football left.

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OVERREACTION: The Jaguars will surprise everyone in the AFC South.

REALISTIC REACTION: Hard to be excited about one win for a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2007.

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OVERREACTION: Odell Beckham Jr. should be the NFL MVP. The Giants are awful without him.

REALISTIC REACTION: With him, this offense scored less than 20 points in the final six games in 2016, including a playoff loss.

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OVERREACTION: Sam Bradford will be NFL MVP. Bradford, a free agent after the season, had 346 yards passing and three TDs in Minnesota’s 29-19 win over New Orleans on Monday night.

REALISTIC REACTION: Bradford torched a defense that has six new starters and has finished near the bottom in yards and points allowed three straight seasons.

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OVERREACTION: Rex Ryan is the new John Madden.

REALISTIC REACTION: Check back after Ryan says ”bam” and ”boom” during a broadcast.

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While they can’t clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs this weekend, they could grab the East simply by Miami not beating the New York Jets. A first-round bye comes with a Patriots win, too.

Denver has not been one of Tom Brady’s favorite places. The Broncos are the only team Brady has a losing record against: 6-9, 2-7 in Denver, including two losses last season, the second for the AFC Championship. And the Broncos still have that strong defense.

Brady has been sacked only 12 times in nine games this season, which suggests his protection has improved.

”But he plays great all the time whether there’s protection or not,” Denver defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. ”We hit him a lot of times last year, but if you remember in the two games, he still came back at the end of both games. He’s a phenomenal quarterback. There’s nobody playing like him.”

Denver’s offense has sputtered badly and can’t afford a shootout with New England. Defeat would deal a severe blow to Denver’s designs on defending its Super Bowl title.

Clinging to the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC, the Broncos will have to get through New England, Kansas City, and Oakland, who are a combined 31-8, for that chance.

The Tennessee Titans are making believers out of a lot of NFL fans. The idea that they could win the AFC South is very much alive after their victory over the Denver.

Should the Titans come out of Kansas City with another win on Sunday, the question might become, are they good enough to not only make the playoffs, but do damage there?

With Marcus Mariota showing franchise-quarterback temperament and skills, DeMarco Murray leading a powerful running game behind an improving line, and a stingy run defense, Tennessee seems to be arriving a year early as a contender.

”There’s always areas to improve,” Mariota says, ”but it’s fun to be around a group that’s growing and learning at the same time. You can see the confidence throughout the locker room.”

That confidence has led to a 7-6 record – Tennessee has won three of its last four – and a meaningful final month of the year.

The Chiefs, tied atop the AFC West after last week’s win over the Oakland Raiders, are among three teams that can clinch a playoff spot this week. Beating the Titans is the easiest way, but they could back into a playoff spot if things break their way in games involving Denver, Pittsburgh and Miami.

Coach Andy Reid’s eyes are focused only on the Titans.

”They’re hotter than a firecracker right now,” he says. ”They play hard. Their defense, Dick LeBeau is a Hall of Famer as a coach and a player. The guys look like they believe in what they’re doing.”

Reid can tie Bill Parcells (183) for 10th on the NFL wins list.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ visit to the Dallas Cowboys was moved to U.S. TV primetime on Sunday with good reason. Yes, the Cowboys had their 11-game win streak snapped by the New York Giants, the only team to beat them this season, but they still have the NFC East and the overall top seed in the conference in sight.

The division belongs to Dallas if it wins and the Giants don’t, or it ties and the Giants lose.

Tampa has won five straight games; the previous time that happened, the Buccaneers won the NFL title in 2002. They have an NFL-high 10 interceptions in those five games. On offense, Jameis Winston to Mike Evans has been a top combination, and Doug Martin is averaging 102 yards from scrimmage in his past 13 road games.

The Bucs might have the players to match up with Dallas’ star rookies, running back Ezekiel Elliott, the NFL’s leading rusher, and quarterback Zak Prescott.

The Week 15 action began on Thursday with Seattle beating Los Angeles 24-3 to win the NFC West title and clinch at least one home game in the playoffs. A few days after the Rams fired coach Jeff Fisher, they lost their fifth straight game.

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But as New England (10-2) prepares to host the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, the ghost of ”Deflategate” has emerged this week – even as Brady insists it’s the furthest thing from his mind.

In the initial months after ”Deflategate” began, court papers surfaced as a part of a lawsuit Brady filed against the NFL to fight his suspension. They revealed a claim that a Ravens employee contacted the Indianapolis Colts about deflated footballs used in Baltimore’s playoff loss to the Patriots the week before the AFC title game in 2015. Those claims were refuted by the Ravens.

Brady was suspended for what the NFL determined was his role in a scheme by the Patriots to underinflate footballs used in that 2015 AFC championship game.

”I think you just try to put everything aside, and whether it was that or whether it was a playoff game a couple of years ago or whether it was a regular-season game a couple of years ago or championship games,” Brady said this week. ”I mean, none of those really matter.”

What does matter is that the outcome of Monday’s game will have playoff implications for both teams.

New England can clinch the AFC East for what would be an NFL-record eighth consecutive season with a victory and Miami loss or tie. The Patriots would also earn a first-round bye with a win and losses by Miami and Pittsburgh.

Baltimore (7-5) has won four of its past five games, but entered the week tied with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North.

Under coach John Harbaugh the Ravens have been one of the few teams that have consistently played the Patriots close. In six games at Gillette Stadium under Harbaugh, the Ravens are 2-4, but their four defeats have come by an average of four points. That includes the 35-31 loss in the 2015 playoff loss.

”We do appreciate it,” Harbaugh said of the rivalry with New England. ”We’re glad to be in this game. We’re glad we’ve earned the right to play a meaningful game in December, most especially against the team we’re about to play, because they’re always in that position.”

Here are some other things to watch for in Monday night’s matchup:

GROUND GAME: The Ravens entered the week with the NFL’s top-ranked defense, giving up 296.1 yards per game overall and an NFL-low 73.8 rushing yards per game. That unit will be tested this week when it tries to slow down New England RB LeGarrette Blount, who has a league-best 13 rushing touchdowns.

PLAYING THROUGH PAIN: The spotlight has been on Patriots TE Martellus Bennett since Rob Gronkowski was placed on injured reserve following season-ending back surgery Dec. 1. Bennett continues to deal with an ankle issue that slowed him in New England’s win over the Rams. He was targeted just four times in that game, finishing with two catches for 4 yards. He also had a pair of holding penalties.

Bennett acknowledged he is not 100 percent, but said his working through it.

”The thing about playing this sport is it’s always something. You never go through a season without having some kind of nick or tear,” Bennett said. ”I just keep going. I’m like the Energizer bunny. I just try to find a way.”

OLD MAN’S GAME: While many people have marveled at the play of Brady at age 39, a lot of that same praise was heaped on 37-year-old Ravens WR Steve Smith by the Patriots. Smith has 54 catches for 589 yards this season. He’s also been a nuisance in his past two games against New England, amassing 145 receiving yards and a touchdown. Patriots CB Malcolm Butler called Smith one of his favorite players.

”Lot of respect, man,” Butler said. ”At the age of 37, he looks like he’s out there running around like he’s 26 or 27.”

EYES ON JONES: It’s been a challenging season for Patriots rookie cornerback and punt returner Cyrus Jones. He had his fourth fumble of the season last week against Los Angeles, and is averaging only 4.7 yards per punt return. He was replaced by Danny Amendola, who promptly suffered an ankle injury. But Jones said he’s hoping to get more chances to prove himself.

”I’ll just take whatever opportunities I get,” Jones said. ”Danny’s out, so somebody has to get back there and try to do it.”

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The surprise ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Berman came Thursday after more than one month of failed settlement talks between the NFL and its players’ union. Many legal experts believed the judge was merely pressuring the sides to settle when he criticized the NFL’s handling of the case at two hearings in August.

But the judge wasn’t posturing.

He came out forcefully in Brady’s favor, maligning the NFL for its handling of the scandal that erupted after the AFC championship game in January, when officials discovered during the first half that Brady used underinflated footballs. New England beat the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 then won the Super Bowl two weeks later.

An NFL investigation led to Brady’s suspension, which Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld.

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AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

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In a 457-page transcript released on Tuesday, Brady maintained his innocence in the NFL scandal known as ”Deflategate.” He denied discussing air level with the ballboys or even thinking about how inflated the footballs were when he selected them. He also said he’s never asked anyone from the Patriots to tamper with footballs.

Brady was suspended for four games and the team was docked $1 million and two draft picks after an NFL-sanctioned investigation by Wells found the Patriots supplied improperly inflated footballs for the conference championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, which New England won 45-7.

Brady appealed the punishment. Goodell decided to hear the appeal himself and upheld the penalty. Both sides went to federal court, and U.S. District Judge Richard Berman told the sides to work out a settlement. To encourage them, he ordered Brady and Goodell to appear in court in person during the NFL preseason.

The transcript filed by the NFL Players Association included the appeal testimony from Brady and Wells on June 23. Wells explained that he did not believe Brady had nothing to do with the ball deflation because the quarterback refused to provide all of the documents that were requested.

”In my almost 40 years of practice, I think that was one of the most ill-advised decisions I have ever seen because it hurt how I viewed his credibility,” Wells testified. ”It hurt my assessment of his credibility for him to begin his interview by telling me he declined to give me the documents.”

Wells’ investigation found text messages between Brady and a pair of equipment managers – one of whom referred to himself as ”the Deflator” – discussing the preparation of footballs for the Jan. 18 game. The Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl and beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 for Brady’s fourth NFL title.

Although Wells asked repeatedly for Brady’s cellphone, the investigator also testified: ”I did not tell Mr. Brady at any time that he would be subject to punishment for not giving — not turning over the documents. I did not say anything like that.”

Brady’s lawyers have said that the league made up its rules without proper notice to Brady, and that it didn’t follow its rules at all in some cases. They have also questioned whether Goodell was independent enough to conduct a fair hearing, even though the collective bargaining agreement gives him that authority.

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Jimmy Golen covers sports and the law for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jgolen

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After making his case in a 10-hour hearing, Brady’s fate is in the hands of Roger Goodell. Just when the NFL commissioner will announce his decision to uphold, reduce or eliminate Brady’s four-game suspension in ”Deflategate” is uncertain.

”I think that’s going to be sooner rather than later,” Marc Ganis, who is the president of SportsCorp consulting firm and has a close relationship with many league owners, said Wednesday. ”One of the criticisms of this whole matter has been the way it’s dragged on.”

The NFL announced in late January that attorney Ted Wells would head an investigation into the New England Patriots use of underinflated balls in their 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game on Jan. 18.

More than three months later, the 243-page Wells report was issued, saying it was ”more probable than not” that Brady was ”at least generally aware” that footballs he used were improperly deflated by team personnel.

Five days after that, on May 11, the NFL suspended Brady four games, fined the Patriots $1 million and docked them two draft picks. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has accepted the team penalties.

But Brady appealed and, more than six weeks later, had his hearing before Goodell in New York on Tuesday.

”I don’t know what the timetable is,” said Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who represented Brady at the hearing. ”I think we put in a very compelling case.”

Once Goodell reaches a decision, the league must craft the wording precisely so it would withstand legal scrutiny if Brady decides to challenge it in court.

Goodell must decide ”as soon as practicable,” according to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.

It’s been nearly a month without a ruling since the hearing for Dallas defensive end Greg Hardy before arbitrator Harold Henderson. Hardy was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2015 season in a domestic violence case.

Here are some questions that remain more than five months after Brady used underinflated balls:

WILL GOODELL KEEP ALL OR PART OF THE SUSPENSION?

Probably.

While Brady likely shared information with Goodell that he didn’t provide to the Wells team, the commissioner needs to regain credibility, especially in light of his fumbling the Ray Rice investigation. If Brady presented a convincing case at the hearing that he had no role in or knowledge of the deflation, Goodell could absolve him of that. Brady then could accept that decision indicating he didn’t cheat or gain a competitive edge, even if it comes with a two-game suspension for not cooperating fully with Wells.

WILL THE SUSPENSION BE RESCINDED?

Unlikely.

This extreme step poses a risk to Goodell from other NFL owners, especially with his close relationship with Kraft, at least before Deflategate. Goodell was tough on the Patriots in the Spygate scandal, fining coach Bill Belichick the NFL maximum of $500,000 and the team $250,000 for spying on New York Jets defensive signals in a game in 2007.

WILL BRADY SUE?

Depends.

There are competing factors in any decision to sue to get the suspension eliminated. Brady hasn’t been a vocal union supporter and prefers to minimize distractions. But with Kessler representing him and Brady’s desire to clear his name, a lawsuit could be forthcoming. ”Jeff loves having a cause of action against the NFL,” Ganis said.

Kessler helped get suspensions reduced for New Orleans players in the Bountygate scandal. In February, he represented Adrian Peterson before a federal judge who overturned an NFL suspension that had been upheld by Henderson.

WILL BRADY PLAY THE SEASON OPENER?

Possibly.

Whatever Goodell decides, Brady can participate in training camp starting in late July and in preseason games. The season opener is set for Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a marquee Thursday night matchup between the Super Bowl champions and a team led by another star quarterback. Ben Roethslisberger vs. Tom Brady? Wow! Roethslisberger vs. Jimmy Garoppolo? Woe.

A court injunction could allow Brady to play in that game and others. But that poses the danger that the court would affirm a suspension later in the season, when the drive for playoff spots is peaking.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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All that has made the New England Patriots superstar the object of admiration and respect to some, jealousy and enmity to others.

On Tuesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hears Brady’s appeal of a four-game suspension for using deflated footballs in the AFC championship game.

Goodell’s decision upholding, reducing or eliminating the punishment won’t likely cause major changes in perceptions of a four-time Super Bowl champion – perceptions enhanced during a stellar 15-year NFL career, yet sullied in one game in which he may have knowingly used deflated footballs.

”He is a guy that I have said for a long time is the best in the business,” said Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethslisberger, who faces the Patriots in the season opener Sept. 10, when Brady’s suspension is set to start. ”I have a lot of respect for him on the football field.”

Buffalo coach Rex Ryan, a longtime nemesis, says Brady’s legacy hasn’t been tarnished.

”I just know the kind of quarterback that he is and what he’s meant to me personally,” Ryan said, smiling and sighing about Brady’s success against him when he coached the New York Jets. ”I’ve got nothing but respect for the guy.”

Companies the boyishly handsome 37-year-old has represented in stylish ads – Under Armour sportswear, UGG footwear, Movado watches – haven’t abandoned him.

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank sat with him at ringside at the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquaio fight May 2 in Las Vegas, where Brady flew by private jet after attending the Kentucky Derby. Less than six weeks later, Plank said at an appearance in Boston, ”Tom has our undying support.”

On Memorial Day, fans held a ”Free Tom Brady” rally in a parking lot outside Gillette Stadium.

Backers of other NFL teams may not be as supportive.

”People would like to know: yes or no,” said Marc Ganis, president of sports business consulting firm SportsCorp. ”If it’s no, then clear the guy. And if it’s yes, then nail him.”

The 243-page Wells report issued May 6 said Brady ”was at least generally aware” of plans to prepare balls below the NFL-mandated minimum of 12.5 pounds per square inch. Wells defended that in a conference call a few days later.

But in a 16-page report this month, the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, said, ”The Wells report conclusions are likely incorrect.”

Goodell will reach his own conclusions.

”If you’re not from the area, the Patriots are an amazingly easy team to hate,” said Adam Brasel, an associate professor of marketing at Boston College. ”The actual severity of the punishment is not going to change people’s perceptions. They’ve already made up their minds.”

The hyper-competitive Brady could challenge Goodell’s ruling in court.

”If there was some clear exculpatory evidence, Brady’s reputation gets even more enhanced,” said Ganis, who grew up a Jets fan and is based in Chicago. ”He will have taken these terrible accusations and didn’t do what most people do, which is find the easiest, most convenient way out with the least amount of disruption to their lives.”

That may not sway critics who feel Brady, MVP in three Super Bowls and two regular seasons, and the Patriots can’t be so successful without cheating.

Did he ask team employees to deflate footballs in other games or know they did that?

”As a human, you care about what people think. I think also as a public figure you learn not everyone is going to like you,” Brady said at Salem State University the day after the Wells report was issued. ”There are a lot of people who don’t like Tom Brady, and I am OK with that.”

The constant media/social media drumbeat keeps the debate about Brady’s culpability alive.

”It’s really easy to try to be infuriated about everything,” Brasel said, ”but people forgive a lot over time.”

Whatever Goodell decides, many players feel Brady’s positive legacy is assured:

-”The guy’s a winner,” said Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, who once said he didn’t like Brady and Brady didn’t like him. ”I don’t think it really tarnishes it.”

-”I don’t think four games will do anything to tarnish four Super Bowl rings,” said Saints cornerback Brandon Browner, Brady’s teammate last season.

-”That’s not the talk in the locker room,” Cincinnati tackle and NFLPA President Eric Winston said of the feeling Brady’s legacy is stained. ”He’s always going to be one of the great quarterbacks of all time.”

Jim Kelly and Troy Aikman criticized Brady. Dan Marino said his opinion of Brady as one of the best quarterbacks ever won’t change.

Brady could be enhancing his own image through his increased use of Facebook, showing a regular-guy side to the fabulously wealthy globe-trotting husband of Gisele Bundchen.

There have been posts of him as a child holding a basketball with a Celtics headband photo-shopped in; his job resume from college; and a video of him jumping off a cliff into water while on vacation.

”He’s not trying to win people over,” Ben Rawitz, Brady’s manager, told The Associated Press. ”It’s all coming from him. He’s always held things kind of close to the chest, but times are changing. It’s nice for him to put out a little bit of who he is.”

Rule changes to assure properly inflated balls are expected. There seems one surefire way for Brady to enhance his reputation.

”The best way to cement the legacy,” Ganis said, ”is to go out and win this year.”

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Contributing to this report were AP Sports Writers David Ginsburg in Baltimore, Will Graves in Pittsburgh, Joe Kay in Cincinnati, Brett Martel in New Orleans, Arnie Stapleton in Denver, John Wawrow in Buffalo, N.Y., and Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tenn.

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AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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The ”Free Tom Brady” rally was organized on Facebook. Many of the fans who gathered on Sunday wore Brady football jerseys with his number 12 on the back and held signs calling on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to rescind the suspension.

The penalty was imposed on the four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback after investigator Ted Wells found it was more probable than not that Brady was at least generally aware of team employees who schemed to let air out of Patriots’ footballs prior to January’s AFC championship game.

Goodell plans to hear Brady’s appeal of the suspension.

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“The decision that Robert made was his decision. I admire and respect Robert. We’ve had plenty of discussions over the last couple of weeks, and this was his initiative and something he wanted to do,” Goodell said Wednesday at the conclusion of the league’s spring meeting. “I certainly admire the step he took. We may disagree on things but that’s not unusual. It happens.”

Goodell sidestepped a question on whether he would remove himself as arbitrator of Brady’s appeal, as the NFL Players Association has formally requested, but at the same time said he looked forward to hearing from Brady directly. Goodell said he was unaware of a date being scheduled for the appeal.
Roger Goodell on Robert Kraft’s decision not to appeal the Pats’ punishments in the deflated footballs scandal: “We’ve had plenty of discussions over the last couple of weeks, and this was his initiative and something he wanted to do.” Andrew Burton/Getty Images

“Obviously when we get back [to the league office] tomorrow, we will focus on that and give it full due consideration and make sure that we do the appropriate thing,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t get into hypothetical situations on Brady’s appeal, referring to a “long established” process in which the commissioner has the authority to hear appeals as part of his responsibility for protecting the integrity of the game.

“I look forward to hearing directly from Tom if there is new information or there is information that can be helpful to us in getting this right. I want to hear directly from Tom on that,” he said.

“Any time anyone is suspended from a game they love it’s difficult. So any player/coach that we’re involved with suspending, that decision comes after a great deal of thought and consideration and recognizing that’s a difficult decision. We’re very careful with it and we’re very thoughtful with it. I have great admiration and respect for Tom Brady, but the rules have to be enforced on a uniform basis and they apply to everybody in the league — every club, every individual coach, every individual player. We put the game ahead of everyone.”

Asked what he would have to hear from Brady to possibly reduce the suspension, Goodell said, “The key for us is to allow any information that Tom Brady and his representatives have … is there any new information that he can bring more clarity to or something that wasn’t considered in the Wells report? That’s the reason for the process and why we continue to have an open mind and we’re going to do everything possible to understand all the facts.”

League officials at the meeting did not discuss protocol of how footballs are handled before games, according to Goodell, as that discussion will take place after the league office explores potential changes based on the findings of the Wells report.

“I do anticipate changes will take place before the 2015 season,” he said.

Asked if the NFL had requested that the Patriots suspend officials locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski, which the club did May 6 when the Wells report was released, Goodell said that wasn’t the case.

As for the NFL’s handling of the investigation into the Patriots’ footballs, which has been a point of contention for the Patriots, Goodell said he asked attorney Ted Wells to determine what the NFL could have done differently and felt Wells “made his views very clear in the report.” Wells disagreed with the Patriots’ viewpoint that the NFL’s investigation was more of a sting operation.

Specific to not correcting an incorrect media leak that 11 of the Patriots’ 12 footballs were at least 2 psi under the allowed lower limit, which upset the Patriots because it created a perception they were already guilty before the investigation was complete, Goodell said, “We’d given all that to Ted and Ted had the opportunity to evaluate that.”

Wells didn’t address the media leaks specifically in his report.

Goodell also said Mexico and Germany have reached out about hosting a future regular-season game, and there is “renewed interest” among the owners. The league is intent on expanding its international series, and it will have three games in London this season for the second straight year.

Arizona hosted San Francisco in Mexico City in 2005, drawing a record crowd of 103,467 for a regular-season game. There have been five preseason matches played in Germany, none since 1994.

Goodell also says Rio de Janeiro has shown interest in staging a Pro Bowl.

The commissioner cites the “passion for our game and taking it to another level” for the league pursuing more international matches.

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