The Sports Xchange

The federal judge meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady pushed both sides to settle Wednesday and indicated he has not decided who would prevail in their fight over the Deflategate scandal.

Goodell and Brady arrived at the federal courthouse in New York on Wednesday morning to meet with U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman. The settlement conference ended after about 7 1/2 hours.

Berman posed direct questions to the NFL and NFL Players Association lawyers in the settlement hearing involving Brady’s appeal of a four-game suspension for his alleged role in using underinflated footballs during the AFC championship game in January.

Berman repeatedly asked NFL lawyer Daniel L. Nash for direct evidence as he gave both sides a chance to state their case in the first hearing before him. Nash told the judge there is plenty of circumstantial evidence against Brady, according to the New York Daily News.

—Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning said there was “no harm, no foul” after some of Brady’s personal emails were released last week, including one poking fun of Manning’s career.

Emails sent from Brady’s Patriots account were released in documents that were filed as part of the NFL Player Association’s lawsuit on behalf of Brady against the NFL. Manning said Brady has apologized for the email flap.

Manning addressed the emails for the first time on Wednesday after training camp practice: “Hey, Tom sent me an apology text that was unnecessary. The fact his emails got revealed, that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

—The Buffalo Bills claimed IK Enemkpali, the backup linebacker who broke New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith’s jaw in two places with a punch in the locker room Tuesday and was released by the Jets.

Bills coach Rex Ryan was with the Jets when Enemkpali was drafted in the sixth round of out Louisiana Tech in 2014.

“IK wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think he could be successful on the football field and in our community,” Ryan said Wednesday. “We had IK last year. He was a good teammate.”

—Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry proved to coach Andy Reid that he is ready for preseason game action nine months after being diagnosed with lymphoma.

“I told him I saw too much of him today because he had a couple of interceptions out here,” said Reid, who called plays in practice as he does on game day. “Listen, I’m as happy as I can be for him. He’s like a little kid out here playing. He’s having fun. He’s appreciative of everything and everybody that has been with him through this whole ordeal. He’s loving life right now, and that’s important. It shows on the field here, too.”

Berry will play Saturday in the Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

—Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney is on schedule to begin practicing with the team on Monday, but coach Bill O’Brien cautions he won’t rush him back.

Clowney, who remains on the physically unable to perform list while recovering from microfracture surgery on his knee, has been working out separately from teammates thus far in training camp.

O’Brien has been hopeful last year’s No. 1 overall pick will be ready to play in Week 1. Clowney spent the offseason rehabbing and taking part in some weight room activities.

—The Pittsburgh Steelers placed kicker Shaun Suisham on injured reserve and signed veteran wide receiver David Nelson on Wednesday.

The team also waived injured running back Cameron Stingily and signed rookie running back Braylon Heard.

The moves come a day after the Steelers signed veteran kicker Garrett Hartley to replace Suisham, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee while kicking off during the Hall of Fame Game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Suisham is expected to have surgery this week.

—The numbers are in for the two-year contract extension St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles signed last Friday.

The deal is worth $26.068 million for three years. In 2015, Foles will be paid $6.042 million, an increase over the $1.542 he was scheduled to be paid. That includes a $1.042 guaranteed million salary, $3 million signing bonus and a guaranteed $2 million roster bonus to be paid on Sept. 1. His cap figure increases from $1.542 million to $4.068 million this year.

The total guarantees in the contract are $13.792 million.

—The Atlanta Falcons re-signed cornerback Michael Lee and waived/injured nose tackle Ricky Heimuli.

Lee was released last Wednesday to make room for nose tackle Derrick Hopkins. Lee was originally signed by the Falcons after the 2015 NFL Draft.

Heimuli was originally signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Oregon after the 2014 draft.

—The New England Patriots waived injured running back Tyler Gaffney.

Gaffney had been sidelined since the first weekend of training camp with an undisclosed injury. He will revert to injured reserve if he is not claimed off waivers.

The Patriots had acquired Gaffney last year after he was waived/injured by the Carolina Panthers, who had drafted him in the sixth round out of Stanford after he rushed for 1,709 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2013.

—The Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota State Mankato agreed on a three-year contract extension to keep the team’s preseason training camp at the university.

Most NFL teams now conduct training camp at their own facilities, but the Vikings buck the trend. The only team to hold their training camp at the same location longer than Vikings is the Green Bay Packers.

“Announcing this extension with Minnesota State University, Mankato, is a perfect way to celebrate our 50 years together,” Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf said. “Vikings training camp is a great tradition for the team and our fans, and we look forward to this continued partnership with both the university and the City of Mankato.”

—The NFL is considering moving Super Bowl media day to evening hours to make the circus-like event a prime-time television showcase.

The gigantic interview attraction is expected to be held the Monday night before the Super Bowl, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Super Bowl 50 will take place Feb. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers.

According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, there was discussion at Tuesday’s owners meeting in Schaumburg, Ill., about turning the normal Tuesday morning event into a prime-time affair to make it more marketable to the league’s television partners.

—Former NFL cornerback Dimitri Patterson reportedly faces a felony charge of child abuse after his son was injured during an altercation between Patterson and the boy’s mother.

According to case records reported by ESPN.com on Wednesday, Patterson was arrested Aug. 1 in South Florida after he threw Erika Medina to the ground while she was holding their 1-year-old son. The boy’s head hit the pavement, and he suffered a bruise to the back of the head, police said. Medina, 28, suffered a cut to her left elbow, and her neck was red where Patterson allegedly had grabbed her before throwing her to the ground.

Patterson was later arrested at his home in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. He also was charged with misdemeanor battery. He is due in court for a hearing on Aug. 31.

—Former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Prince Shembo reportedly pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in the death of his former girlfriend’s dog.

A felony charge of animal cruelty was dismissed last week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, his attorney told ESPN.com on Wednesday. Attorney Jerry Froelich said Shembo will pay a $1,000 fine and perform community service. Shembo also volunteered to donate money to a charity focused on animal safety.

Froelich told ESPN.com that Shembo “just wanted to get it over with. He wanted to get on and move on with his NFL career.” The Falcons released Shembo in May after he was charged in the dog’s death.