Roger Goodell Offers No Answer When Asked About Settlement Possibility
BOSTON (CBS) -- From the very second U.S. District Judge Richard Berman got his hands on the case of Tom Brady and the NFLPA vs. Roger Goodell and the NFL, he has strongly urged both sides to pursue a settlement.
The reasons for that desire are many. For one, judges tend to not want to interfere with labor relations when collective bargaining agreements exist. And there's also the fact that a stubborn standoff over footballs is not necessarily the place for a real life judge to get involved.
And so, Berman has pushed both sides to work in good faith toward reaching a settlement. And on Tuesday morning, he reiterated that request in a letter to both sides.
On Tuesday afternoon, when speaking in Chicago at an owners' meetings about an NFL move to Los Angeles, Goodell was asked directly how receptive the league is toward agreeing to a settlement. Goodell offered very little in terms of an answer.
"We had discussions prior to this," Goodell said. "Judge Berman – we got the letter today. We will certainly cooperate fully with that and we'll allow the judge to handle the process from there."
This answer came after a two-part question, the first part of which asked the commissioner how surreal it would be to face Tom Brady in a courtroom.
"Listen, that is part of the process," Goodell said. "Judge Berman has asked us to appear tomorrow. We will certainly do that."
Both sides are set to meet with Judge Berman on Wednesday morning in New York.
