New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has failed in his bid for a fresh hearing before the US Appeals Court against his four-game “Deflategate” suspension. Although the proceedings aren’t yet over, the decision a three-judge panel from the 2nd U.S. CIrcuit Court of Appeals inches us toward some closure in this whole debacle. I’ve been playing against him every year. By adding Olson to their legal team, Brady and the union added a former US Solicitor General who is best known for successfully arguing before the US Supreme Court on behalf of George W. Bush in Bush v. Gore, which resolved the contested 2000 presidential election.
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The collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League and the players put the power to investigate rule violations in the hands of the Commissioner, along with the authority to impose appropriate sanctions and preside at arbitrations challenging his discipline, the court said in April. We have a broken system that must be fixed. Don’t be surprised if Jimmy Garoppolo is under center Week 1.
At least one player outside of the New England Patriots’ locker room is upset over quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game suspension.
The Deflategate saga has seemed endless since arising from the NFL’s determination that the New England Patriots used improperly under-inflated footballs in the first half of the AFC title game at the conclusion of the 2014 season.
One has to wonder if players on the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans feel the same way as Dareus does about not facing Brady. He would return to the active roster on Monday, Oct. 3, a day after Game 4 against the Buffalo Bills.
Wednesday’s order rejected Brady’s motion to have the panel or the entire appeals court reconsider the case. The Patriots don’t need Brady out during that time he should just take the first month of the season off and get it over with. Given how aggressively Brady, the NFL Players Association and all the lawyers involved have pursued the case, trying to get the Supreme Court to hear it could be the next step. “I think the odds are more than 50-50 that they reimpose the suspension … but what they really want here is precedent”.
Brady’s remaining hope is to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. While many players may not like Brady or the Patriots as an organization, they realize that this legal battle is over more than just deflated footballs.
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The Jets are the only East team that wouldn’t stand to immediately benefit should associate justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg turn down Brady’s request for a temporary stay.
