As of Tuesday, it was known that the appeal hearing regarding the two-game suspension imposed on Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather would happen on Wednesday. it wasn’t known whether it would be handled by Ted Cottrell or Matt Birk.
Per a league source, Cottrell is handling the hearing.
Ed Werder of ESPN reports that the hearing will happen Wednesday afternoon, which means that Meriweather will miss Wednesday’s practice. (Last month, Birk overturned the one-game suspension imposed on Buccaneers safety Dashon Goldson in time for Goldson to make it to Wednesday’s practice.)
The appeal process is independent of the league, with Cottrell and Birk jointly hired and paid by the NFL and the NFLPA. Either side can replace either or both hearing officers after any given season; after the 2012 season, the NFLPA opted to replace Art Shell.
Meriweather was suspended two games by the league office after drawing a pair of penalties for illegal hits in Sunday’s win over the Bears. Meriweather was fined $42,000 in September for using the crown of his helmet when hitting Packers running back Eddie Lacy.
Last year, Cottrell overturned a one-game suspension imposed on former Ravens safety Ed Reed. In 2011, Cottrell upheld a one-game suspension imposed on former Steelers linebacker James Harrison. That same year, Shell upheld a two-game suspension imposed on Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.