On Thursday, July 30, a Minnesota federal judge ordered the NFL Players Association’s lawsuit on behalf of Tom Brady back to New York. The NFLPA brought this suit against the NFL in an attempt to vacate the four-game suspension that was upheld upon appeal on Tuesday.
Immediately after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the suspension, the league asked a federal judge in Manhattan to affirm the decision. Because the NFL took advantage of this “first-to-file” rule, the Minnesota judge ordered the transfer back to New York.
The Minnesota judge, United States District Judge Richard Kyle, stated that the court perceives no reason for this action to proceed in Minnesota, writing that “the court sees little reason for this action to have been commenced in Minnesota at all. Brady plays for a team in Massachusetts; the Union is headquartered in Washington, D.C.; the NFL is headquartered in New York; the arbitration proceedings took place in New York and the award was issued in New York.”
The NFLPA had hoped to take the case in front of U.S. District Judge David Doty, who has heard many cases related to the NFL and has previously sided with the NFLPA, including having recently vacated the indefinite suspension of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. The NFLPA plans to refile its lawsuit against the NFL immediately on Thursday, but in Manhattan.