NFL fans around the country are beginning to relate to the frustration of New England Patriot fans everywhere following the Tom Brady/Deflatefate ruling, especially those in Green Bay and Pittsburgh. A recent statement from the NFL directed at Steelers lineman James Harrison, Packers lineman Clay Matthews, Packers lineman Julius Peppers, and current free agent lineman Mike Neal (former Packer) threatens to suspend the four players if found guilty of violating the league's performance enhancing drug policy.

According to reports, the league has attempted to set up prior interviews with the four players as many as seven times to outline questions regarding the NFL's performance enhancing substance policy. As of Thursday, August, 16th, Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, and James Harrison have consented to an interview. The interest from the NFL comes after a public accusation from a television show by Al-Jazeera featuring comments from Charlie Sky (an Indiana pharmacist).

With the immense power granted to commissioner Goodell by the appeals court following the two-year long Brady/Deflategate saga, commissioner Goodell appears to be taking full advantage. According to Mike Florio with Pro Football talk,

"The league can now disregard the terms of the PED policy and invoke Article 46 to compel cooperation with an investigation under the PED policy, despite the plain terms of the PED policy. Before Brady, no player had ever been suspended for failing to cooperate with or obstructing a league investigation. Now, based on the Brady precedent, the NFL has a hammer that it never specifically obtained through bargaining."

The Brady ruling essentially gave Goodell the power and the approval to suspend any player, on any 32 teams, without evidence, any time that he sees fit. If that isn't bad enough, if Harrison, Matthews, Peppers, and Neal are all suspended, the length of the suspension is at the complete discretion of Roger Goodell.

Regardless of how you feel about Tom Brady's alleged actions in the 2015 post-season game against the Colts, you cannot deny that Roger Goodell is extending beyond his reasonable duties as commissioner, and is stepping further into the realm of "dictator." Leaving the 32 NFL teams, players, coaches, and fans a lot worse off.

There have already been 23 suspensions in the 2016-2017 NFL season, and we've only hit the second week of pre-season. With an additional four suspensions looming around the corner, NFL fans could enter the season with 27 players out of the game for the first week of football.

Meanwhile, Patriot fans sit back waiting for the Week 4 return of Tom Brady, shaking their heads saying, "I told you so."