Tom Brady and Roger Goodell in court for Deflategate settlement talks

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Tom Brady, 38, arrived at Manhattan Federal Court smiling on Wednesday
Inside he was stone-faced throughout - though a much-mocked court sketch depicts him as a willowy, skeletal figure looking dazed and delirious
Judge Richard Berman demanded harder evidence of Brady's involvement
He also asked Brady why he refused to hand over text messages for report
Berman warned the case could drag into 2017 until compromise is reached

By Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com and Reuters

Published: 10:02 EST, 12 August 2015 | Updated: 16:58 EST, 12 August 2015

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Tom Brady sat stone-faced during a 90-minute settlement hearing as a judge demanded harder evidence that the New England Patriots quarterback was involved in tampering with balls.

US District Judge Richard Berman opened the closed-door talks on Wednesday by firing tough questions at the NFL lawyer Daniel Nash about the lack of a 'smoking gun' implicating Brady.

And he warned that, unless both sides can reach a compromise, the case could stretch until 2017.

Bizarrely, details of the hearing were somewhat overshadowed by the release of a court sketch that depicted Brady, a four-time Super Bowl champion, as a willowy, skeletal figure looking dazed and delirious.

Scroll down for video

This bizarre court sketch shows Tom Brady looking spaced out and his lawyers pained during the NFL hearing

Four-time Super Bowl champion Brady, 38, (pictured, left, entering court on Wednesday and, right, sat in court in a court sketch) was said to be 'stone-faced' during the closed-door hearing - but was it really this bad?

Court sketch artist Jane Rosenberg said: 'I don’t tend to flatter people and make them look beautiful'

Soon after the release of the sketches, Twitter users began creating memes like this one

This user, like many, compared Brady's appearance in the sketch to that of blockbuster alien ET

After the 90-minute hearing, memes and Photoshopped images swept the internet mocking the sketch.

Many said the quarterback bore a resemblance to ET, some cited Edvard's Much's The Scream, others the famously abysmal restored painting of Jesus that looks more like a blob of paint than a face.

Court sketch artist Jane Rosenberg hit back at her critics in an interview with the Boston Globe. 'I don’t tend to flatter people and make them look beautiful,' she said.

'At least they can figure out which one is Tom Brady. That’s good, whether he looks good or bad. It’s not just a stick figure of a nobody.'

When Brady arrived at Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday morning he seemed in good spirits. He pulled up minutes before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell - who last month rejected his appeal to quash the suspension.

Brady, 38, was suspended for four games over his alleged role in a scheme to deflate footballs in the Patriots' 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in a January playoff game.

Inside the hearing he remained stoic, even refusing to raise a smile when Berman made light remarks and the courtroom laughed.

Nash acknowledged that there was no 'smoking gun' but said there was plenty of circumstantial evidence - including a series of texts between Brady and the Patriots employees accused of letting air out of the balls - that Brady was aware of the deflation.

Both Brady and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who imposed the suspension, attended the 90-minute hearing.

Berman also met privately with each side, including Brady and Goodell, before and after the hearing in an effort to reach a settlement before the Patriots' season begins on September 10.

Unless there is a deal, the two sides are scheduled to appear before Berman again on August 19 for oral arguments on whether he should uphold or vacate the suspension.

Goodell suspended Brady, one of the NFL's biggest stars, following an investigation into the footballs used in the Patriots' 45-7 playoff victory over the Indianapolis Colts. That win took the Patriots to the Super Bowl, where they defeated the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, giving Brady his fourth championship title.

Brady has denied knowing about any plan to deflate footballs, which can make them easier to grip.

At the hearing, Berman asked Brady lawyer Jeffrey Kessler why the quarterback refused to turn over any texts or emails to NFL investigator Ted Wells, whose report was the basis for Goodell's suspension. Brady had his phone replaced and destroyed, a point Goodell emphasized when he rejected Brady's appeal.

Tom Brady arrived at Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday for settlement talks over the Deflategate saga

A break for Brady? US District Judge Richard Berman opened the closed-door talks by demanding harder evidence that the New England Patriots quarterback was directly involved in tampering with balls

He was joined by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, whose vote to uphold the match ban prompted the lawsuit

Tom Brady and Roger Goodell heckled as they arrive at court

Kessler, however, said Brady had followed the advice of his lawyer in declining to hand over his communications, and said the quarterback routinely destroys his old phones to avoid unwanted leaks to the media.

'This is the most overblown issue in the history of my over 40 years of litigation,' Kessler said.

Brady's presence drew a throng of reporters and photographers outside the courthouse in downtown Manhattan, as well as a handful of fans wearing copies of the player's jersey.

Some called Goodell a 'liar' as he walked in. As Brady entered, while another yelled, 'Give 'em hell, Tom!'

Trevor Schramn, 20, was wearing a 'Free Tom Brady' T-shirt and said he had come to 'support our boy.'

'The Patriots are winners, and people are always going to hate the team on top,' he said.

The Patriots' victory in that game enabled the team to advance to the Super Bowl, where they beat the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24.

Goodell confirmed Brady's July 28 suspension. Goodell took the case to court within minutes of the decision, asking Berman to confirm the ruling.

The players union has asked Berman to vacate the decision. It contends that Goodell should not be able to hand down the penalty and then hear the appeal.

The players association has argued Goodell shouldn't be able to hand out the penalty and then hear the appeal

Brady has denied knowing about the deflated footballs or any scheme hatched by Patriots employees to do it

Brady smiled as he stepped out of his car to crowds of waiting photographers and members of the public

Brady's suspension doesn't start until the regular season begins so he could play in the preseason game

Goodell also seemed in good spirits ahead of the settlement cases, which could drag for months or years

Brady has denied knowing about the deflated footballs or any scheme hatched by Patriots employees to carry it out, as alleged by NFL investigators.

A deflated football can be easier to grip for a quarterback, especially in the cold weather like that outside Boston in which the AFC title game was played.

The Patriots were fined a record $1 million and stripped of their first-round draft pick in 2016 and fourth-round selection in 2017.

New England opens its preseason campaign on Thursday night at home against the Green Bay Packers. The Patriots' regular season begins on September 10, also at home, in a nationally televised game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brady could play in the preseason game because his suspension does not go into effect until the regular season begins.

If Brady is forced to the sidelines, Jimmy Garoppolo, a second-year player, will likely start at quarterback. He played in six games last season, mostly in mop-up duty, completing 19 passes in 27 attempts for 182 yards.