On Tuesday’s broadcast of “Pardon the Interruption” on ESPN, co-host Tony Kornheiser responded to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell saying he would have an open mind during New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s appeal of his four game suspension for the deflation of game balls.
Kornheiser, who likened the crime of using under-inflated to stealing signals, said the four game suspension is ridiculous and that the only reason he was slapped with such a penalty is because the NFL does not want black players to think they are being targeted for suspensions.
“This is watering the base paths,” Kornheiser said. “This is stealing signals. This is gamesmanship. Four games is ridiculous and what it has to do with, as we’ve talked about, is Brady’s profile and the fact that Brady is white and it’s a way to show black players in the league, ‘I don’t just come down on black players.'”
Recently, the NFL suspended former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy for domestic violence. Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Ray McDonald was arrested for domestic violence in May and is awaiting punishment for that. Also, both Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Marcell Dareus and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell have been suspended for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policies while Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, who has been suspended 13 games in 3 years for substance abuse, will miss all of the upcoming 2015 season for the same reason.
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