Fed Court throws out Tom Brady Deflategate Suspension (court decision included)
Internet reacts just as expected
A federal judge tossed out the controversial ‘Deflategate‘ decision Thursday morning.
New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2015-2016 season, the team incurred a $1 million fine, and the Patriots lost their first round draft pick in 2016 and fourth round pick in 2017. Two employees who handle footballs for the club were also implicated. “Patriots employees John Jastremski and James McNally have been indefinitely suspended without pay by the club, effective May 6. They aren’t allowed to be reinstated without the NFL’s permission,” reported Yahoo News.
Multiple sources including Yahoo Sports claimed there was no evidence that Brady, coach Bill Belichick, or Patriots owners were directly involved in the Deflategate scandal. According to Yahoo Sports, the NFL handed down the unprecedented punishments, “for violating playing rules and not cooperating fully in the investigation.”
But that was all tossed out the window. You can read the full decision here:
Tom Brady Deflategate Federal Ct Decision
And of course the Internet responded exactly as you’d expect it to.
We'll take those draft picks back, too. Thanks, Rog. Close the door on the way out. pic.twitter.com/33jfCWC140
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) September 3, 2015
Tom Brady's four-game #Deflategate suspension was overturned http://t.co/hAeRkNDZgv pic.twitter.com/69ZUPRjEwy
— New York Post (@nypost) September 3, 2015
It’s not over until the Pope says it’s over.
Tom Brady saga far from over: Supreme Court, Vatican and United Nations Security Council yet to weigh in.
— Gregg Easterbrook (@EasterbrookG) September 3, 2015
Is this just the beginning?
What a great day in sports, the #Patriots win on and off the field. Now time to get Goodell, the Colts, Ravens, and Jets booted from the NFL
— Kev (@KevDough) September 3, 2015
Hoodie power!
AWWW, YEAH! Vindication for my guys Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. The hoodie towers over all. #NFL #Patriots #DeflateGate
— Victoria Walsh (@MightieMinx) September 3, 2015
That’s how I like my justice — on a platter with an extra side of gravy.
Tom Brady’s Four-Game N.F.L. Suspension Erased by Judge – http://t.co/ajOve4HCz6– Justice served on a platter to NFL http://t.co/vO501AYyr7
— Ellen Barnett (@ebarnettcpcu) September 3, 2015
Do your thang, Internet
Can someone update this, subbing in Tom Brady for Tim Tebow? https://t.co/dsB7kxV7E7
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) September 3, 2015
The man, the myth, the legend
Tom Brady has started 13 straight opening games, tied for 4th-longest streak by QB. pic.twitter.com/U1wUaZMlBz
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 3, 2015
Someone missed that whole “bread and circuses” memo…
How much did it cost taxpayers to adjudicate Deflategate case?
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) September 3, 2015
Tyranny. We don’t do that here. Well, at least not in theory.
"The power of the commissioner has been undone …" -Bob Ley on Brady ruling. #LIVEonSC: http://t.co/ppGtINTD9c pic.twitter.com/WgMots4eFS
— ESPN (@espn) September 3, 2015
Admiration is no respecter of team loyalty
I'm a Giants fan, but I respect greatness, and adore justice even more!!! http://t.co/5hv9CcsiXh
— Chi (@EmperorChi_ROR) September 3, 2015
What if…
*#TomBrady gets into his car, alone. A tear falls from his eye. He whispers.*
"Why won't they just let me stop playing football already"
— The Levine Machine (@Eitanthegoalie) September 3, 2015
But what about the rest of the things!
Meanwhile, you’ll hear much more about Tom Brady, and Taylor Swift’s “racist” video than you’ll ever hear about this https://t.co/UBOsDmOprL
— Cameron Gray (@Cameron_Gray) September 3, 2015
And then there are Fantasy Football implications
Doesn't that judge know that the dude I play week 1 has Tom Brady #bruh
— Alex Hively (@itsjusthively) September 3, 2015
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Who cares?
Jimmy Garoppolo
“There will be INK tonight!” (With apologies to Indigo Montoya!)
Political cartoonists opening their veins all over America. Terribly sad…
Since when did U.S. District Judge Richard Berman become NFL commissioner?
oh- it’s a story about that sport played by criminal thugs with an 8th grade education and run by people who think Rush Limbaugh is too controversial to be an owner.
F*** YOU NFL…. I don’t watch, I don’t follow and sorry, but I’m a giant party pooper when I’m forced to watch the games. There’s better stuff to do on Sunday afternoons in the fall.
further proof, not that any was needed, that we are no longer a nation of laws…
if you’re rich, you can get away with almost anything.
I completely disagree in this instance. While the CBA does give the commissioner broad powers, Roger Goodell does seem to be making the rules up as he goes along. He also seeks to enforce rules retroactively. For the first time since an executive at Northwest airlines removed all the stall doors in employee restrooms in an attempt to shorten calls of nature, I find myself in the side of a union in a labor management dispute. Enough already with the SJW act, Roger.
As with Obama’s EPA, Roger Goodell also seems to think he can ignore the orders of a federal court. In late August there was a recent contempt hearing in US District Court in Minneapolis. The NFL appealed the ruling in the Peterson case, but in its appeal did not request a stay of the order to go into arbitration. Instead, the league simply ignored the federal judge. Show me a judge who likes to be ignored.
Actually, it is the Federal judge who is making it up as he goes along. If the CBA grants too many powers to the NFL commissioner, or if the powers are ill-defined, that is a problem for the players and the league. Just because the NFLPA got the short end of a crappy deal does not mean Judge Berman should unilaterally change it.
This “rewriting” of the CBA by Judge Berman smacks of Chief Justice Robert’s unconstitutional efforts to salvage ObamaCare by interpreting it to mean something other that what was written into law.
Just announced, Roger Goodell has made a press release that the Commissioner’s office will appeal this ruling.
To be sure, the NFL has been preparing the appeal for a while now.
Further proof that this isn’t about the ‘integrity of the game’ so much as it is about Goodalls ego.
Is his appeal good for the NFL? I think not.
This was suppose to be a reply to Stan25 @ 1:04 pm.
Sorry, I’m play by the rules kinda guy, There was no evidence Brady was involved because he either didn’t provide it or he destroyed it.
I believe that a QB should be able to have the balls inflated to the level he and his receivers want.
However, the rules state they must be inflated to a certain level.
This was about Brady’s ego too, don’t forget. He’s not clean and pure as the wind driven snow. Let’s get rid of the anti-trust exemption. The NFL is about three things 1 – Money, 2 – Money, and 3 – Money.
I agree, big-money means not having to say you’re sorry.
Actually, although the court case was strictly about the process and what the players’ agreement authorizes the commissioner to do, the Wells Report not only didn’t uncover any “deflation” of game balls, but it provided data that vindicates the Patriots.
An independent report by the American Enterprise Institute says it tried to replicate Wells’ results using his data and the methodology he claimed to have used, and they found his results irreproducible. Because Wells was doing science, and to be valid scientific results must be reproducible, this puts his conclusions right in the ol’ turlet (as Archie Bunker might say). Another independent report, written by an actual scientist (and Nobel Laureate) showed that the data collected by Wells was consistent with properly-inflated game balls.
This leads me to my most important point – the NFL erred seriously when it failed to conduct an independent review of the science in the Wells Report, and instead accepted the report, its flawed science, and its unsubstantiated conclusions without said review. I believe this gives Brady a cause of action against the NFL/commissioner’s office for damage to his personal and professional reputations for its irresponsible and unprofessional actions.
It was always BS. The whole procedure for controlling the ball pressure is BS, the testing is BS, the “report” was BS, and the NFL is BS.
The judge found it so.
That does seem to be an accurate assessment of the judge’s statements.
Or as I’d put it, even if Brady did something shady, two wrongs don’t make a right. A judge was asked to weigh the evidence on both sides and he did. I’m satisfied.
All charges against Brady should be dropped. Since it was the team who cheated, the Super Bowl trophy and win should be taken from the team.
And what should happen to the other teams that have recently been caught tampering with game balls? Tampering with game balls is a minor offense in the NFL, and I’ll remind you that the Pats slew the Colts in the second half of that game – ball inflation, regulation or not, had nothing to do with the outcome. Regardless, the data in the Wells Report, according to at least two independent reviews, showed that the Pats didn’t cheat and the the report was a fraud.
I suspect this is failure theater involving Kraft, Brady, and Goodell
The Federal Arbitration Act — recently reaffirmed in two well publicized Supreme Court Decisions, AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion and CompuCredit Corp. v. Greenwood creates a high bar for overturning an arbitrators decision.
I think the average credit card holder who went into Federal Court to appeal an arbitrators decision would quickly be shown the door.
“…creates a high bar for overturning an arbitrators decision”
Of course, first you need an arbitrator, not a goon appointed as executioner.