The Sports Xchange

New England Patriots fans will hold a rally on Sunday in support of beloved quarterback Tom Brady, who is fighting his four-game suspension stemming from Deflategate.

The “Free Tom Brady” rally is scheduled to take place Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to wear Tom Brady jerseys.

A recently created Facebook page describes the event as a “peaceful rally to protest the unjust football arrest of half God half man Tom Brady.”

According to ESPN.com, 240 people had confirmed by Saturday afternoon that they were planning to attend the rally.

Brady was suspended for his role as the alleged ringleader of team equipment managers who intentionally lowered the air pressure in footballs.

Brady did not fully cooperate with the NFL’s third-party investigation led by Ted Wells, according to a 243-page report outlining the offenses.

The Wells report released May 6 concluded that the Patriots “more probable than not” violated NFL rules and Brady “was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities” of the deflated game balls in the 45-7 AFC Championship Game victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Patriots fans have strongly supported Brady since the four-time Super Bowl MVP was investigated by the league.

The late Patricia Shong of Auburn, Mass., who passed away on Monday at the age of 72, even showed support for the quarterback in her obituary.

The obituary, which appeared Thursday in the local daily newspaper, included a passage that stated: “Patricia was known for being an avid reader which all who knew her can attest to based on her mini home library. She especially loved spending time with her family. She would also like us to set the record straight for her: Brady is innocent!!”

Brady has appealed the suspension through the NFL Players Association, which requested last week that commissioner Roger Goodell recuse himself from hearing the appeal.

The NFL reportedly has rejected the request for Goodell to step aside as the arbitrator in Brady’s appeal.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Friday that no final decision has been made on whether Goodell will recuse himself.

According to ESPN.com, attorneys for Goodell have recommended that the commissioner reject the NFLPA’s request that he recuse himself from Brady’s appeal.

Goodell still could step aside as arbitrator, but he would be doing so against the advice of his lawyers

At the conclusion of the NFL owners’ spring meetings in San Francisco on Wednesday, Goodell would not comment on the specifics of Brady’s suspension or his appeal, but the commissioner said he looked forward to hearing from Brady.

Goodell said at the owners meetings that one of his primary responsibilities is upholding the integrity of the game, policies and procedures.

Because the process negotiated with the union for appeals calls for Goodell to be the final authority, the commissioner said he was not prepared to remove himself from the matter.

“I’m not going to get into hypotheticals,” Goodell said earlier this week at his press conference. “I look forward to hearing directly from Tom. … I have great admiration and respect for Tom Brady. But the rules have to be enforced on a uniform basis. They apply to everybody in the league. … We put the game ahead of everything.”

Goodell would exercise his right under the league’s 2011 collective bargaining agreement to hear Brady’s case instead of either an independent or NFL-affiliated arbitrator.

The union called Goodell a “central witness in the appeal hearing,” adding that he is not impartial. The NFLPA wanted a neutral party to serve as an arbitrator.