After an entire season of processing all of the information, a U.S. Appeals Court announced on Monday that they have reinstated Patriots QB Tom Brady's four-game suspension for Deflategate. The move overturns the decision from a lower judge, and sides with the league in a battle with the Players Association.
The court released a statement 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."
Brady has not officially taken this decision to court, but is not yet ready to accept the suspension. He is meeting with his attorneys to discuss their next move. For those who may have forgotten over the year, the suspension stems from the 2015 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, where the quarterback allegedly intentionally used underinflated balls.
Now this ruling does not mean that the court believes Brady is guilty of the matter. They went on to explain this by saying "our role is not to determine for ourselves whether Brady participated in a scheme to deflate footballs or whether the suspension imposed by the Commissioner should have been for three games or five games or none at all."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was pleased with the courts decision, saying through a statement from the league "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."
The Players Association was very disappointed that their fight against the ruling has hit a roadblock. Brady can take a re-hearing in front of the same panel, or take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the suspension holds, Brady will miss games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans, and Bills, and will make his season debut in Week 5 against the Browns.
The court released a statement 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."
Brady has not officially taken this decision to court, but is not yet ready to accept the suspension. He is meeting with his attorneys to discuss their next move. For those who may have forgotten over the year, the suspension stems from the 2015 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, where the quarterback allegedly intentionally used underinflated balls.
Now this ruling does not mean that the court believes Brady is guilty of the matter. They went on to explain this by saying "our role is not to determine for ourselves whether Brady participated in a scheme to deflate footballs or whether the suspension imposed by the Commissioner should have been for three games or five games or none at all."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was pleased with the courts decision, saying through a statement from the league "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."
The Players Association was very disappointed that their fight against the ruling has hit a roadblock. Brady can take a re-hearing in front of the same panel, or take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the suspension holds, Brady will miss games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans, and Bills, and will make his season debut in Week 5 against the Browns.
