The ongoing legal battle between Roger Goodell and Tom Brady over the latter’s Ballghazi suspension took one more step toward a merciful end today.
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The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed the case and denied Brady’s appeal thus meaning the suspension stands.
In May, the NFLPA filed a petition with a federal appeals court asking for a rehearing of the case by a three-judge panel or the whole court.
That’s right, Brady’s appeal to the United States Appeals Court to reconsider “Deflategate” has been refused. The Patriots and their coach, Bill Belichick, will have to find a way to remain in the Super Bowl-contending mix without Brady in the lineup for a quarter of the regular season, undoubtedly employing the same us-against-the-world approach that served them so well during their march to a almost flawless season in the aftermath of the Spygate ordeal almost 10 years ago.
The NFLPA seemed to put a dent in Goodell’s authority in player-disciplinary cases with a string of victories fighting league sanctions in cases involving Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy and Brady.
At this point, the saga of Deflategate reads a little bit like a play-by-play of a tennis match, so here’s the condensed version: Brady was suspended, Brady won on appeal, the National Football League won on that appeal, and Brady was denied his next pit stop on the way to the Supreme Court.
A three-judge panel reinstated the suspension April 25, after a district court originally ruled against the NFL.
“That’s always an option to litigants”, Olson said after joining the case. If Brady petitions the highest court, his legal team could first ask the 2nd Circuit court for a stay of its decision. “It is not something we have resolved ourselves to doing”. As a result, if Brady doesn’t continue to appeal he will be suspended the first four games of next season.
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The court’s decision is unlikely to change minds on either side.
