Thanks to a federal appeals court panel, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will serve the four-game suspension imposed on him by the National Football League 15 months ago.
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A US senator believes the time has come to release that information. “They reaffirmed our authority and the underlying facts to the case, so we think it came out in the right place”.
In the end, the court relied on the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association, which gives league commissioner Roger Goodell full power in determining whether an infraction is worthy of punishment and how that punishment should be meted out.
Even the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which most recently reinstated Brady’s suspension, seemingly highlighted the need for a more neutral arbiter when it comes to player discipline, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in NY reversed a federal judge’s ruling from September.
This particular group of owners wants to see Roger Goodell keep his power when it comes to punishing players, but they also want to see Brady’s suspension reduced, which could possibly pave the way for a settlement. “It’s been 15 months, so we’ll just move on and do whatever we have to do”. The dissenting judge, however, was “unable to understand why the Commissioner thought the appropriate penalty was a four‐game suspension and the attendant four‐game loss of pay”. The court argued Goodell has extra incentive to be more harsh in his decisions since he’s representing the league.
But Goodell now has a 2-1 decision from a federal court working in his favor, leaving him little reason to settle with Brady. Describing how Brady felt back then when the suspension was overturned, Kraft added, “I think there was some relief but mostly happiness”.
But the Second Circuit held the NFLPA accountable for how the events turned out because they were the ones who agreed to terms, giving the commissioner the authority he is exercising now.
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They could not come to an agreement, and on September 3, U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Berman overturned the suspension. A reduced suspension probably means Brady would have to agree to some wrongdoing and apologize for his failure to cooperate fully with the investigation by not turning over his cellphone. “So we think this is an important element of our success”. The Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans and Bills; those are the games Brady’s scheduled to miss next season.
