Tom Brady’s 4-Game Suspension Overturned By Judge

Realistically speaking, there’s no reason why the NFL should have egg on their face once again because of rouge rule making behavior. What should’ve been a minor situation in “deflategate” grew to a $10 million drama, where “the shield” once again looks tarnished.

Judge Richard M. Berman ruled against the NFL’s four-game suspension of Tom Brady for his role in the New England Patriots’ deflategate scandal. The NFL plans to appeal the ruling, but as it stands, Tom Brady will be the starting QB for the Pats next Thursday night when the 2015 NFL season kicks off.

In reviewing Judge Berman’s ruling, it seemed apparent that he was annoyed this case was wasting everyone’s time. He outlined several areas where the NFL was vague or had no previous presidence for its actions.
The fact the players not given copy of the game day operations manual – which outlines rules for inflation and penalties – was also a key fact. There was no definitive proof that Brady was cheating. Instead of waving the white flag, the league pressed on.

NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith released the following statement:

The rights of Tom Brady and of all NFL players under the collective bargaining agreement were affirmed today by a Federal Judge in a court of the NFL’s choosing. We thank Judge Berman for his time, careful consideration of the issue and fair and just result.

This decision should prove, once and for all, that our Collective Bargaining Agreement does not grant this Commissioner the authority to be unfair, arbitrary and misleading. While the CBA grants the person who occupies the position of Commissioner the ability to judiciously and fairly exercise the designated power of that position, the union did not agree to attempts to unfairly, illegally exercise that power, contrary to what the NFL has repeatedly and wrongfully claimed.

We are happy for the victory of the rule of law for our players and our fans. This court’s decision to overturn the NFL Commissioner again should signal to every NFL owner that collective bargaining is better than legal losses. Collective bargaining is a much better process that will lead to far better results.

The stipulation in the CBA that allows Goodell to be both judge, jury and appeals process hasn’t worked out when players decided to take things to the courts. If you’re keeping track; Bounty gate, Deflategate, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, are all examples of penalties overturned over the last two years. It’s seriously time for the NFL to revisit their process