Could Patriots be without Tom Brady for the first 4 games? It looks like it
Tom Brady was able to win his appeal to play last season and boy was it important for the Patriots who came out red hot. Now the Patriots quarterback has his suspension back on the table. After sitting in front of a panel of Judges for his appeal, the NFLPA attorney’s were crushed by the Judges, who seem to support Roger Goodell and his decision for a four game suspension.
Here is what happened according to the Associated Press:
The odds that the “Deflategate” four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is restored rose considerably after federal appeals court arguments Thursday.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan gave a players’ union lawyer a tough time, with one of three judges even saying evidence of ball tampering was compelling, if not overwhelming…
All three judges put NFL Players Association attorney Jeffrey Kessler on the defensive with multiple reasons why they thought NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell might have been within his rights to order the suspension of Brady after finding the quarterback knew about the deflation of game balls before the January 2015 AFC Championship game between the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts and that he had obstructed the league’s investigation.
The judges also were tough at times on Paul Clement, attorney for the NFL, questioning why the simple act of deflating footballs warranted such a severe suspension.
But they seemed to answer that question themselves when Kessler stood before them as they noted repeatedly that it may well be within Goodell’s authority to punish a player if he concludes that the player interfered with an investigation and thus engaged in conduct detrimental to the game.
Clement urged the court to rule quickly for the good of the game.
“It would be an awful shame if this issue has to be hanging over the league for another whole season,” he said. “End this right now.”
Neither Goodell nor Brady was in court Thursday. A decision could take weeks or months.
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