NEW YORK • National Football League (NFL) commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear there will be no settlement in his Deflategate battle with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Speaking at Hall-of-Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's charity golf tournament in Batavia, New York, Goodell said he does not expect a compromise between the American football league and Brady, who is attempting to have his four-game suspension overturned.

The commissioner suggested that the window of opportunity for Brady to reach a settlement had closed.

"We've had all those discussions," he was quoted as saying by ESPN. "We've had settlement discussions over the past year.

"At this stage right now, we're moving forward. The courts will make their decisions and we'll move forward on that basis."

He also defended his right to retain the power, as commissioner, to impose discipline on players and safeguard the integrity of the sport.

A circuit court panel ruled 2-1 in April that the commissioner was within the rights of the collective bargaining agreement to suspend Brady for four games, after the suspension was first overturned by United States District Court judge Richard Berman.

Last month, the NFL Players Association and lawyers for Brady filed a petition for a re-hearing of his suspension ruling with the second US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

Brady, one of the highest-profile athletes in America, was suspended by the NFL on May 11 last year, for his involvement in the Patriots' alleged deflation of footballs during last year's AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.

His suspension was overturned on Sept 3 last year.

However, the NFL challenged the court ruling and in April an appeals court ruled in the league's favour, effectively reinstating Brady's initial punishment.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE