Why would Goodell reduce it to anything less than 2 games. The slander is already successful. Deflategate and Brady's suspensio9n is the first question the media will ask players/coaches, and management for the next 2 years, afterward it will drop to the 3rd question.. Deflation, Patriots and Cheating has become part of the cultural lexicon, DESPITE all the holes in the Welles report, not to mention bad science. Family Feud made a joke of it, while Mr. Robot turned Brady into a pariah. The Welles report pronounced Brady and the Pats guilty, and the media piled on. Now every media story is framed as a Guilty Brady looking to prove himself innocent, and outside of Pats fans, no one really cares. It was never guilty until proven innocent. The Salem witch trials were more just.
And then there is the issue of the draft picks and the money. that ship has sailed, thanks to the grievous error made by our heretofore error free owner (for the most part). The fact is that I will eventually forgive Kraft based on the great job he has done as owner up to that point, but that earth shattering faux pas has PERMENTENTLY scarred not only the talent level of the team with the loss of the picks, but the very brand, he worked so hard and risked so much to build. To say this was an egregious error in judgment could be the biggest understatement of the year.
But we all make mistakes and we've all had a few "eggregeous" ones. Besides forgiveness is a universal tenant in most religions. So the day will come when I will embrace Bob Kraft as the best owner in Boston, ....but not anytime soon.
What I'd really like to hear from someone is that when Brady wins in court, or the Welles report is finally outted as the heinous fraud it is, a plausible scenario showing how we get those picks back. The only chance I see that happening is Brady winning a defamation suit, but that's just me.