Morning sports update: Julian Edelman reportedly won’t fight his 4-game PED suspension
Edelman will return in Week 5.
The NFL halted implementation of its new national anthem policy under an agreement with the Players Association. The Red Sox face the Tigers at 7:10 p.m. on Friday in the their first game after the All-Star break.
Julian Edelman reportedly won’t fight his 4-game PED suspension
On the eve of the Patriots’ first training camp practice in 2015, Tom Brady filed a lawsuit seeking to have his four-game Deflategate suspension overturned because NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was an inherently biased arbitrator. Brady won the initial appeal, which allowed him to play the entire 2015-16 season, but lost on an appeal and had to serve the suspension the following season.
One of his primary targets, Julian Edelman, will not be heading down the same path. The Patriots wide receiver is not going to sue the league over his four-game PED suspension, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
#Patriots WR Julian Edelman won’t follow Tom Brady into federal court after an arbitrator recently upheld his PED suspension. Edelman decided not to sue the league, per source — he’ll focus his energy on football and preparing for Week 5 return. Ready to compete, on the field.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 20, 2018
An independent arbitrator ruled earlier this month that the suspension will stand. Edelman’s legal team had appealed the ban, arguing that the NFL mishandled his test results. That did not sway the arbitrator.
The presence of that arbitrator is one major difference between Edelman’s case and Brady’s Deflategate ordeal. Instead of Goodell presiding over an appeal as judge, jury, and executioner, the receiver’s argument was heard by a panel of lawyers jointly selected by the league and the Players Association.
Now that Edelman won’t be challenging the suspension in federal court, he will return in Week 5 after missing matchups against the Texans, Jaguars, Lions, and Dolphins.
Gordon Hayward shares an update on his recovery and expectations for the upcoming season: Hayward has yet to start playing 5-on-5 basketball, but the Celtics forward recently dunked as he returns from the injury that sidelined him for all but six minutes of the 2017-18 season. He expected a few changes once he returns to the court. (Boston.com)
Danny Amendola: ‘Back in New England, it’s almost like you had a principal and a principal’s office’: Amendola left the Patriots with two Super Bowl rings — as well as plenty of stories about Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and counterfeit currency. He told some of those tales on the “Comeback SZN” podcast. (Boston.com)
WEEI switches Glenn Ordway back to the afternoon slot: WEEI tweaked their weekday lineup, flipping the times of their morning and afternoon drive shows. The move returns host Glenn Ordway to his 2-6 p.m. slot five years after he was fired from The Big Show. (Boston.com)
Daily highlight:
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