AP
After the NFL imposed a four-game suspension on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, some in the media have pointed out that the Commissioner has the power to handle the appeal of Brady’s suspension only because the NFL Players Association gave him those powers in the negotiations that led to the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
But the powers at issue in this case — the ability to safeguard the integrity of the game — has been around since the very first Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA in 1968. Which means that the first NFLPA president (John Mackey) and executive director (Ed Garvey) agreed to allow the Commissioner to impose the discipline and to designate the hearing officer (including himself) to handle any appeal regarding matters relating to conduct detrimental to the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football.