FOXBORO - The Patriots will happily trade a couple of Tom Brady absences on August Wednesdays in exchange for his being available every day in September. And thereafter.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman scheduled conferences for Aug. 12 and Aug. 19 in New York. Berman told attorneys for the NFL and NFLPA that he expects those conferences to take place “with your principles (including, without limitation, Mr. Goodell and Mr. Brady).” Berman also asked the two sides to keep working toward a settlement prior to Aug. 12.
Aug. 12 isn’t a heavy-lifting day in Foxboro anyway – it’s the day before the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Packers. On the 19th, however, the team will be in West Virginia for the first of two joint practices with the New Orleans Saints. Presumably, the team will leave for West Virginia on Tuesday afternoon while Brady heads to New York. It would be expected that he’d leave New York for West Virginia on Wednesday after the conference.
For practical purposes, the Patriots may need another arm by then. Jimmy Garoppolo and Brady are the only two healthy quarterbacks through the first three days of practice. Free agent signee Matt Flynn is on a non-football injury list currently and hasn’t begun practicing.
Berman’s scheduling of the conferences came after the two sides sent a joint letter requesting the issue be decided by Sept. 4.
The union did not ask the judge to drop an injunction which would let Brady play while he decides the case. Both sides agreed not to request a preliminary ruling before oral arguments are heard. Neither side is requesting additional evidence, which means Goodell and Brady would be unlikely to testify.
