NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is reportedly pleased with a federal appeals court’s decision to reinstate New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game "Deflategate" suspension imposed by the NFL.
Goodell spoke on Bloomberg TV, saying, “We think that was the right decision. They were very firm in their decision that that was within our authority and the judgments were based on solid facts. “
Goodell suspended Brady for four games after finding the quarterback knew about the deflation of game balls before the January 2015 AFC Championship game between the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts and that he had obstructed the league's investigation.
After Goodell rejected Brady's appeal of the four-game suspension, the league went to federal court to get a judge's approval of its handling of the case. But Judge Richard Berman ruled against the NFL a week before the season began, eliminating Brady's four-game suspension.
However, a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled 2-to-1 Monday that Goodell did not deprive Brady of "fundamental fairness" with his procedural rulings.
The ruling can be appealed to the full 2nd Circuit or to the U.S. Supreme Court, but it would likely be a steep and time-consuming climb even if the courts took the unusual step to consider it.
