Tom Brady is now eligible to start the 2015 NFL season with the Patriots, instead of having to ride the bench. A judge wiped out the NFL’s punishment for Tom’s alleged role in the ball-deflating scandal that rocked professional football.
A federal judge on Thursday threw out the New England Patriots quarterback's four-game suspension in deflategate controversy.
Judge Richard Berman of Manhattan federal court announced the decision after the league and the players union representing the star quarterback failed to reach a settlement in their bitter dispute. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would appeal.
The NFL wanted Tom to serve the suspension in full. Tom thought that it was “unfair discipline.” He was willing to pay a fine, but the NFL wouldn’t have it.
So, Tom took the NFL to court. When the NFL and Tom couldn’t come up with a settlement, Judge Berman was forced to issue a ruling. In earlier court sessions, the judge suggested that the league’s findings were “too vague” but also acknowledged that Tom was generally aware of the cheating.
The league had suspended Brady after concluding that he and two New England Patriots equipment managers conspired to let air out of footballs before the AFC championship game in January, presumably to make them easier to grip.
The written decision frees Brady to play in the September 10 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Las Vegas, the Patriots immediately moved from 3-point favorites to 6.5-point favorites in that Week 1 game, and the over/under total grew from 48.5 points to 51 at William Hill's Nevada sportsbook.
Unfortunately, this may not be the end of 'DeflateGate.' If the NFL wants to pursue this case further, they can file an injunction to halt the immediate implementation of the judge’s ruling.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that the NFL will appeal the decision. “It’s paramount to protect the integrity of the game and his office’s responsibilities under the collective bargaining agreement with players,” Roger said in a statement on NFL.com.
