Despite all of the winning that Tom Brady does on the field, he loses quite a bit in the courts. On Wednesday morning, a federal appeals court rejected Brady’s attempt to get a new hearing on his “Deflategate” suspension, and his original four-game suspension handed down by Roger Goodell will stand.
Adam Schefter broke the news on Twitter.
Federal appeal court rejected Tom Brady's appeal; Brady's four-game suspension stands.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 13, 2016
From the Associated Press:
Brady was asking for the full 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hear the case. In April, a three-judge panel said that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was within his powers when he suspended the star quarterback four games for his role in a scheme to doctor the footballs used in a Jan. 18, 2015, playoff game.
Wednesday’s decision Wednesday legally reaffirms the power of a commissioner when it comes to employee discipline, despite the collective bargaining agreement.
Brady’s last possible play is to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
If the suspension stands, the backup quarterback for the New England Patriots is Jimmy Garoppolo. The Patriots open the season Sept. 11 at Arizona. Brady would make his regular-season debut in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.
Brady reworked his contract with the Patriots in March with an insightful eye that his suspension would be upheld. Brady signed a highly backloaded two-year contract that took his salary from $9 million to $1 million, but has a massive $28 million signing bonus. Brady will save $1,882,352.94 under his new deal.