Keller @ Large: Could Tom Brady-NFL Breakthrough Be Near?
BOSTON (CBS) - Lawyers for both sides in the endless case of Brady vs. the NFL held an unscheduled meeting with Judge Richard Berman in New York Thursday.
There's still no settlement, and no one's talking.
But could a breakthrough be at hand?
WBZ-TV legal analyst Harry Mannion thinks there could be.
Mannion is a top civil and commercial lawyer who's lived through many tense negotiations through the years.
He tells WBZ the meeting is a sign Wednesday's scolding from the judge is having an impact on the impasse.
"Judge Berman's not gonna waste his time," says Mannion. "This is a very pro-settlement activity that happened today, and there's really some mojo happening towards settlement. They did not have to come back today. They could have easily said we'll see you next Wednesday as scheduled, but they didn't."
Mannion says the judge's open-skepticism of the NFL's case puts heat on them to bend.
And he sees Tom Brady's late decision to play in Thursday night's exhibition game as a sign that he too wants to get back to business.
"'I'm a football player and I'll be on the football field,' that's a strong psychological leadership message, completely consistent with his character and personality ," observes Mannion.
So after seven months of deflating headlines, could our long pigskin nightmare finally be running out of oxygen?
"Tomorrow's Friday, that's usually the day you resolve things, so I think there's a shot there could be a resolution," Mannion said.
And what form might an emerging deal take?
It's just a guess, but Mannion bets the NFL is holding out for at least a one-game suspension, while Brady and the union are saying just a fine, no more.
We may be about to find out who will blink last.
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
