In the expected appeal of his four-game suspension over deflate-gate, Tom Brady's only teammate on the field of battle will be his lawyer. In choosing Jeffrey Kessler, Brady wisely chose an all-star with a winning record against his adversary, the NFL. But how much will it matter? A great deal, but probably not as much as who ultimately decides this matter.
As has been widely reported, Kessler has helped his clients win important victories against the NFL. As Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice's lawyer, Kessler persuaded retired federal judge Barbara Jones, who heard that appeal, that Commissioner Roger Goodell had abused his discretion in giving Rice an indefinite suspension after first suspending him for two days.