NFLPA wants Roger Goodell as witness in Brady's 'Deflategate' appeal

Tom Brady wants to call Commissioner Roger Goodell as a witness in the appeal of the four-game suspension he was handed for "Deflategate."

The NFL players union said in its appeal of the penalties that Goodell can't hear the appeal because one of the issues is his credibility. The union also said in the letter released Friday it will call league vice-president Troy Vincent, who handed down the punishment.

The Super Bowl MVP was suspended for four games and the Patriots were fined $1 million US and docked a pair of draft picks for using illegally inflated footballs in the AFC championship game.

The appeal also complains that the evidence collected in the Wells report doesn't support such a harsh penalty.

The union lawyers say that the suspension is invalid because only Goodell can punish players for conduct detrimental to the league. The penalties were handed down by Vincent, NFL's executive vice-president of football operations.

Brady appealed the decision on Thursday, and later in the evening Goodell announced that he would hear the appeal personally. Although the collective bargaining agreement gives him the right to do that, the appeal letter claimed Goodell cannot remain impartial because he will called as a witness.