If you’re one of those football fans who was anticipating a Brady v. Goodell Supreme Court match-up more than any game on your team’s schedule this season, we’re afraid we have some bad news:
According to a statement issued moments ago, Patriots QB Tom Brady will no longer appeal his 4-game suspension stemming from the 2014 Deflategate scandal.
Brady’s suspension was overturned just prior to the 2015 season, which allowed the iconic quarterback to participate in all 16 regular season games and lead his team to the playoffs for the seventh straight year.
In April, however, the suspension was reinstated by a three-judge panel from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.
Following the decision, the only avenue left to Brady would’ve been another appeal which would have necessitated the Supreme Court agreeing to hear his case.
Perhaps sensing what a longshot situation he was in, Brady decided to opt out of that particular hail Mary.
“I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process,” he said in a statement issued moments ago.
Thus, as of today, Brady will officially be forced to sit for 2016 Pats games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans and Bills.
We’re sure fans of those teams are breathing a sigh of relief.
The NFL alleges that Brady not only instructed his team’s equipment staff to deflate game balls in direct violation of league rules, but also hindered an investigation into the matter by destroying his cell phone.
In their decision, the judges in New York stated the opinion that Goodell and the league had not denied Brady “fundamental fairness” when they chose to suspend him.
At 38 years old, it’s unclear how many seasons Brady has left in him, and the news that he’ll be forced to sit for a quarter of this year’s games is devastating to Pats fans.
You can expect some strong opinions to be voiced on social media over the weekend.
