Source: Brady was ‘very genuine, earnest, persuasive’ during 10-hour appeal

The Sports Xchange

10 years ago

New England Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady arrives at NFL headquarters in New York June 23, 2015. Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game National Football League suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs during last season’s playoffs begins Tuesday at NFL headquarters in New York. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

A supporter of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady holds up a sign outside the National Football League (NFL) headquarters offices in the Manhattan borough of New York City, June 23, 2015. Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game NFL suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs during last season’s playoffs begins Tuesday at NFL headquarters in New York. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

New England Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady arrives at NFL headquarters as people ask for autographs in New York June 23, 2015. Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game National Football League suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs during last season’s playoffs begins Tuesday at NFL headquarters in New York. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

A supporter of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady holds a sign as he stands with a large crowd of media outside the National Football League (NFL) headquarters offices in Manhattan, New York City, June 23, 2015. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Supporters of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady hold up signs outside the National Football League (NFL) headquarters offices in the Manhattan borough of New York City, June 23, 2015. Brady’s appeal of his four-game NFL suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs during last season’s playoffs begins Tuesday at NFL headquarters in New York. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (C) arrives at NFL headquarters as people ask for autographs in New York June 23, 2015. Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game National Football League suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs during last season’s playoffs begins Tuesday at NFL headquarters in New York. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady arrives at NFL headquarters in New York June 23, 2015. Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game National Football League suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs during last season’s playoffs begins Tuesday at NFL headquarters in New York. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

A man holds a picture of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady over his face outside the National Football League headquarters offices in New York City, June 23, 2015. Brady’s appeal of his four-game NFL suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs during last season’s playoffs begins Tuesday at NFL headquarters in New York. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (C) arrives at NFL headquarters as people ask for autographs in New York June 23, 2015. Brady’s appeal of his four-game National Football League suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs during last season’s playoffs begins Tuesday at NFL headquarters in New York. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

Tom Brady was present for all of the 10-hour-plus appeal hearing for his alleged role in Deflategate and the New England Patriots quarterback reportedly performed at the top of his game.

A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that “Tom Brady’s greatest ally today was Tom Brady.”

Sources also told Schefter that Brady came off as “very genuine, earnest and persuasive” as he addressed every issue raised in the league-sanctioned Ted Wells Report during Tuesday’s long meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and one source called it “an A-plus performance.”

The NFL suspended Brady on May 11 for the first four games of the 2015 season in connection with the Patriots using underinflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts in January. The Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl.

The appeal hearing, which began at 9:30 a.m. ET, was expected to end by Tuesday afternoon but extended well into the evening before it concluded.

Accompanying Brady was his attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, as they tried to convince Goodell to reduce or nullify the suspension.

“We put in a very compelling case, that’s all I’ll say,” Kessler said upon exiting the NFL’s Park Avenue offices Tuesday night.

Brady now must wait to find out if his appeal carried any weight with Goodell, who personally heard the appeal despite objections from the NFL Players Association which had asked the commissioner to recuse himself.

It was growing dark when Goodell left the league headquarters after he heard Brady and representatives from the players’ union during the meeting, according to ESPN.

Patriots owner Bob Kraft, who is on a trip to Israel with a group of Pro Football Hall of Famers, sent a sworn affidavit backing Brady. ESPN reported that the affidavit had “almost a holy feel to it.”

The transcript of the proceedings won’t be released anytime soon.

“There is a confidentiality agreement in place,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Pro Football Talk via email Tuesday night.