From time to time, a player engages in behavior during a game that triggers a suspension. The suspended player always has the right to an immediate appeal.
And so the appeal does indeed occur immediately. On Tuesday, for example, the NFL will conduct appeal hearings in connection with the suspensions of Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib and Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree.
As a source with knowledge of the broader dynamics explained it to PFT, this approach creates a variety of scheduling problems for other players with other business. Because other hearings in other matters (typically, appeals of fines imposed for on-field infractions) already have been scheduled, those hearings quickly get bumped. The situation creates an inconvenience players, agents, and lawyers who were ready to proceed on the selected day, and who now will end up having the hearing delayed until a future date.
Per the source, it happened on Tuesday with the Talib and Crabtree suspensions, and it happened earlier this year with the Marshawn Lynch suspension and the Mike Evans suspension.
Obviously, an appeal of any suspensions must be processed. But for a league with supposedly extensive resources, there should be a way to allow hearings that already had been set to proceed as scheduled. Currently, there isn’t.