Deflategate Appeal: NFL Files Opening Brief with Second Circuit

On Monday, October 26, 2015, the National Football League (NFL) filed its opening brief with United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit requesting that the district court’s “Deflategate” ruling be overturned.

The original decision, issued by District Court Judge Richard Berman, reversed the NFL’s 4 game suspension of Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady. The NFL superstar was alleged to have been involved in a scandal to deflate footballs. In reversing Brady’s suspension, Judge Berman held that the NFL did not provide Brady with …

September 18, 2015 NFL

The NFL Files its Pre-Argument Statement in Appealing Brady Suspension Ruling

The NFL filed its “pre-argument statement” in the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday September 17, 2015. The NFL is appealing the September 3, 2015 district court decision of Judge Richard Berman, which vacated the NFL’s 4-game suspension of superstar quarterback Tom Brady.

The pre-argument statement is separate from the filing of a memorandum of law—the statement only describes the legal theories the NFL will plan to make on appeal. Both the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association (the representative of Tom Brady) …