It’s been over a year since the actual incident, yet we are still talking about Deflategate. It seems that the NFL just will not let this issue die, but perseverance brings results apparently. On Monday, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the NFL in the case against Tom Brady, which means that his original 4-game suspension will be reinstated this coming fall.
Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Patriots quarterback had previously gone head-to-head in court last year over the issue, with the judge in the case ruling in favor of Brady. Judge Richard M. Berman determined that the NFL did not use the proper procedures when investigating whether or not he played a part in deflating the game balls during the 2015 AFC Championship. However, the appellate court, which consisted of a three-judge panel, voted 2 to 1 against Brady on Monday, saying, “We hold that the Commissioner properly exercised his broad discretion under the collective bargaining agreement and that his procedural rulings were properly grounded in that agreement and did not deprive Brady of fundamental fairness.”
In a public statement, the NFL said, “We are pleased the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled today that the Commissioner properly exercised his authority under the collective bargaining agreement to act in cases involving the integrity of the game. That authority has been recognized by many courts and has been expressly incorporated into every collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association for the past 40 years.”
Now to be clear, this doesn’t necessarily mean Brady will actually be suspended for four games this season. It just means that Goodell has the authority to suspend him if he so chooses. It will ultimately be up to the NFL to determine what his actual punishment is, but Brady and the NFLPA will definitely not go quietly.
