NFLPA asks Roger Goodell to step down as arbitrator for Tom Brady's appeal

The full statement is as follows:

The NFLPA has formally requested that Commissioner Roger Goodell recuse himself as the arbitrator in Tom Brady's disciplinary appeal. Given a process that has contained procedural violations of our collective bargaining agreement, the Commissioner's role as a central witness in the appeal hearing and his evident partiality with respect to the Wells report, the Commissioner must designate a neutral party to serve as an arbitrator in this matter. The players also believe that the Commissioner's history of inconsistently issuing discipline against our players makes him ill-suited to hear this appeal in a fair-minded manner.

If the NFL believes the Ted Wells report has credibility because it is independent, then the NFL should embrace our request for an independent review.

-- NFL Players Association

The Players Association has previously asked for a neutral arbitrator to hear Brady's case. And with Robert Kraft's acceptance of the punishments handed down to the Patriots as a franchise, Goodell may be more willing to give up his role in the appeal process.

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