News that Tom Brady would accept his four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate did little to dampen the public perception of his team; the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook still has the New England Patriots as the favorites to win Super Bowl LI.
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This past Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 2 Circuit denied Brady’s appeal request for a rehearing after a panel of three judges reversed a decision from a lower court affirming the suspension.
He called the past 18 months very challenging and made the decision not to proceed any further with the legal process. He continued to say that he is going to work hard and when it is time for him to return to the field after his four game suspension. In the meantime, however, Brady is poised to miss the first four games of New England’s 2016 campaign against the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills.
Originally suspended four games after the league concluded the Patriots intentionally underinflated the footballs used in the AFC Championship game on January 18, 2015, Brady embarked on an odyssey to clear his name that has now stretched into its third season.
Brady’s last avenue of appeal was the US Supreme Court, and while he indicated he didn’t plan to go there, the NFL Players Association said it wouldn’t rule out a petition to the highest court in the land.
An initial appeal to league commissioner Roger Goodell failed, but the suspension was nullified in September 2015 by Judge Richard M Berman.
Tom Brady has ended his legal bid against the National Football League and the four-game suspension it handed him.
Tom Brady announced on Facebook that he won’t continue to pursue his case against the National Football League in court.
In two seasons as Brady’s backup, Garoppolo – who was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft (No. 62 overall) out of Eastern Illinois – has appeared in 11 games, without a start.
“His reluctant decision to stop pursuing further action and to put this situation behind him is what he feels is best for the team in preparation for this season and is fully supported by me and our entire organization”, Kraft said. “That support extends throughout our organization and has only grown more steadfast as the preponderance of scientific evidence has exonerated Tom”.
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The New York Jets pulled off a last-minute stunner, signing the Pro Bowl defensive end to a five-year extension and beating the deadline after which Wilkerson would have had to play this season under the franchise tag amount of $15.7 million.
