FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2015, file photo, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady passes against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of the NFL football AFC Championship game in Foxborough, Mass.Charles Krupa/The Associated Press
People with knowledge of the decision say NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will hear Tom Brady's appeal of his four-game suspension for his role in the deflated footballs scandal. The NFL told the players' union Friday that Goodell will not recuse himself.
The people said spoke on condition of anonymity because Goodell's decision has not been made public. The commissioner considers it his responsibility to hear the appeal.
The union asked Goodell to withdraw from that role because it said he was not impartial and would be called as a witness.
Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season after a league-sanctioned report by lawyer Ted Wells found the New England quarterback "at least generally aware" of a scheme to deflate footballs used in the AFC title game.