Goodell Not All-Powerful: Brady Blasts Commissioner’s Role in Suspension Appeal

On Monday December 7, 2015, the National Football League Players Association and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady jointly file a response brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, arguing that Roger Goodell over-stepped his boundaries in slamming the future hall of famer with a four game suspension for his role in the “Deflategate” scandal. On September 3, District Court Judge Richard Berman overturned Brady’s suspension, determining that the NFL and the Commissioner’s Office failed to abide by the …

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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) …

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Improper Notice and Arbitrary Discipline: Brady Says to Goodell, “Can’t Touch This”

On Thursday September 3, 2015 Judge Richard Berman, federal district court judge in the Southern District of New York and the adjudicator of the Tom Brady Deflategate scandal, issued a decision and order in the litigation between Brady and the National Football League. The lawsuit concerned the legality of the quarterback’s four-game suspension. Ultimately, Judge Berman reversed the NFL’s arbitration decision to suspend Brady; meaning, unless an emergency injunction is approved by the appellate court, Brady will be available to play in the Patriots’ Week …

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Breaking Phones and Taking Names: Tom Brady States at Hearing That He Usually Destroys Old Devices

At a hearing on Tuesday in front of a New York federal court, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady alleged that he usually destroys his old cellphones in order to protect his personal and business data.

The suit was originally filed by the National Football League Management Council (NFL) against the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), and ultimately boiled down to a claim that Brady had engaged in conduct “detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional football[.]” The …

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Home Field Advantage: Minnesota Judge Sends Brady’s Suit to New York Court

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 …

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Running Out of Air: NFL Commissioner Upholds Brady Four-Game Suspension

On Tuesday, July 28, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the four-game suspension imposed on New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady on May 11.  The NFL announced that Goodell’s decision to uphold the suspension was based on the Wells Report and evidence that came to light during the ten-hour appeal hearing last month.

Specifically, Goodell noted that Brady’s destruction of his cell phone was a factor in upholding the suspension.  He explained how Brady had exchanged nearly 10,000 text messages during the four months that the …

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Pump Up The Appeal: NFL Commissioner Hears Tom Brady’s Testimony

Last week, on June 23, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell presided over Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension in the “Deflategate” case. However, there is currently no timetable for a decision on the appeal, as the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association calls for a decision “as soon as practicable.”

The four-game suspension arose out of an investigation into the “Deflategate” scandal, where footballs were found to have been deflated to below the permissible limit under league rules.  Attorney Ted …

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NFL’s Goodell Says Mea Culpa for Super Bowl Seating Problems

A taped deposition of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was played for jurors at the Super Bowl XLV seating trial.  In the recording, Goodell blamed the league, not the Dallas Cowboys, for the fiasco that left over 400 ticket holders without seats at all while other affected ticket holders had seats with restricted views.

When asked whether the Cowboys and owner should be held responsible for the seating problem, Goodell responded,

“I’m not blaming others. I’m blaming ourselves. I’m accepting responsibility. It is

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Judge Overturns NFL Arbitrator’s Denial of Peterson’s Appeal

U.S. District Judge David Doty found that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had no authority to retroactively apply the NFL’s new policy and that NFL arbitrator Henderson “simply disregarded the law of the shop and in doing so failed to meet his duty under the [Collective Bargaining Agreement signed on August 4, 2011].”  The judge remanded the case to follow further proceedings under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement.

Peterson had been suspended until at least by April 15 pursuant to the new personal conduct …

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