Judge from Deflategate Case Declines Autograph Request from Fan

On July 19, 2018, Scott Smith, an avid Sports Illustrated magazine collector, emailed U.S. District Judge Richard S. Berman requesting his autograph on the cover of the September 14, 2015 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine. According to the email, one of Smith’s lifelong passions is “collecting autographs on my covers of Sports Illustrated magazine.” According to Smith, he has the world’s largest personal collection of autographed SI magazines, about 20,000 magazines in total. His collection is allegedly well documented, he has appeared in Sports …

July 15, 2016 Litigation / NFL

Deflategate Flattened as Brady Officially Drops Legal Fight

In a stunning turn of events, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady announced that he is officially dropping his legal battle against the NFL over Deflategate. On July 15, 2016 on Brady’s verified Facebook account he announced that he is not going to proceed with the legal process indicating he will not ask the Supreme Court to take up the case. Recently, on July 13, 2016 the Second Circuit denied his request to rehear their earlier decision to reinstate his four-game suspension for his alleged …

July 15, 2016 Litigation / NFL

Brady’s Quest to Vacate Four-Game Suspension is Running Out of Air as Second Circuit Denies Request for Rehearing

On July 13, 2016, the Second Circuit denied New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the NFL Player Association’s request for a rehearing in their deflategate case. In the end, this decision came as no surprise for a case that has dominated both legal and sports headlines ever since the NFL handed down a four-game suspension to Brady for his alleged role in deflating footballs against the Indianapolis Colts in a 2015 playoff game.

Previously, the Second Circuit voted 2-1 to uphold the four-game suspension…

June 14, 2016 Litigation / NFL

Suit Brought by Patriot Fans is Dismissed

On June 10, 2016, a Massachusetts federal court dismissed a suit brought by seven New England Patriot fans, seeking recovery from the Deflategate scandal. The fans were unable to persuade the court that they suffered as a result of the NFL’s handling of Deflategate.

In January of 2015, the New England Patriots, including quarterback Tom Brady, played the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. Shortly after their victory, the Patriots were accused of tampering with and deflating footballs used during the game. The NFL …

June 9, 2016 Litigation / NFL

Deflategate Continues: Pro-Labor Organization Voices Concern About Power of Arbitrator

On May 23, 2016, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a pro-labor federation, filed an amicus brief in support of Tom Brady. This comes after the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the district court and held in favor of the NFL, stating that Goodell properly exercised the authority bargained for in the collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League (NFL) and NFL Player’s Association (NFLPA). Tom Brady and his lawyer requested a re-hearing by the three-judge panel …

May 28, 2016 NFL

New England Patriots Enter the Fray in Brady and the NFLPA’s Petition to Rehear Deflategate Case

On May 25, 2016, the New England Patriots officially joined Tom Brady’s battle to have the Second Circuit’s decision to reinstate Brady’s four-game suspension reheard. In a rare and surprising move by a team to go against the league in a player dispute, the Patriots filed a motion for leave to file a brief in support of Brady and the NFLPA. This motion stems from a recent Second Circuit decision to overturn the NFL superstar’s voided suspension and the NFLPA’s petition to have a rehearing…

May 24, 2016 NFL

NFLPA Officially Files Petition for Rehearing in Brady Case

Unhappy with the Second Circuit’s decision in April to uphold the four game suspension handed down to star quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots for his role in the 2014 Deflategate scandal, the National Football League Players’ Association filed a petition for rehearing en banc with the Second Circuit on Monday, May 23, 2016. The filing comes as no surprise to most, and follows the appellate court’s 2-1 decision to overturn a New York federal judge’s ruling that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell overstepped …

April 25, 2016 NFL

Second Circuit Overturns Brady Ruling, Reinstates QB’s Suspension

On Monday, April 25, 2016, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit voted two-to-one to overturn NFL superstar Tom Brady’s voided 2015 suspension. Brady, who has quarterbacked the league-dominating New England Patriots to four Super Bowl wins this century, was originally handed a four game suspension prior to the start of last year’s football season for his role in the intentional deflation of game balls during the 2014 AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. Brady and the NFL Players Association appealed the suspension, …

January 7, 2016 Litigation / MLB / NBA / NCAA / NFL / NHL

Sports Litigation and Cases to Keep an Eye on in the New Year (Part I)

2015 was a year full of highly debated controversies in the world of sports litigation. However, the debating isn’t over quite yet as some of the most notorious cases of 2015 will have litigation continuing into the new year. From “Deflategate” to the FIFA corruption scandal, this post is part one of notable sports cases you should be sure to follow in 2016.

“Deflategate” Appeal

Deflategate was one of the most talked about controversies in sports in 2015, as it involved allegations of the ever-popular …

December 23, 2015 Litigation / NFL

Deflategate: NFL Submits Reply Brief in Appeal of District Court Decision

On Monday, December 21, 2015, counsel for the NFL submitted its reply brief to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the “Deflategate” litigation.

In the 2014 NFL Playoffs, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was allegedly involved in a scheme to advantageously tamper with game balls used by Brady in the AFC championship game versus the Indianapolis Colts. The NFL suspended Brady for the first four games of the 2015 Regular Season.

Brady appealed the decision to an arbitrator, who, through the provisions …