Deflategate just refuses to die. The stupidest, most drawn-out, biggest waste-of-time "scandal" in NFL history was ratcheted back up this afternoon when the appeals court overturned a previous ruling and reissued Tom Brady's four-game suspension. And Brady, of course, doesn't want to accept the ruling and is "reviewing his legal options," which pretty much ensures we won't move on past Deflategate anytime soon.
Brady, who is growing ever more desperate in his attempts to preserve his previously squeaky clean image, can really only do one of two things. He can go back to the same appellate court that just reinstated his suspension and request a hearing in front of the full panel. Or, the even more absurd and, thus, probably more likely option, he can bring the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court (which I think is still down a judge because, in another high-profile pissing match, Congress refuses to do its job and confirm Justice Alito's replacement). Just imagine this being on the docket for the highest court in the land and how ridiculous that'd be!
There are two other options, neither of which seems likely. The NFLPA, acting on Brady's behalf, and the NFL could come to some sort of settlement. But, after this has gone on this far and both sides have dug in their heels so deeply, that ain't happening. Especially since they both think they're right. Even less likely, Brady could just admit defeat and let the rest of us move on with our lives. Seeing as this is Tom Brady and the Patriots we're talking about, though, that seems even less likely. And, knowing Brady, he'll probably seek a temporary injunction that will allow him to play during his appeal.
Mr. Squeaky Clean continues to try and play the persecuted victim who's being unfairly targeted by The Man. Of course, there isn't a single person who doesn't speak with a Boston accent that thinks Brady is innocent, but that doesn't even seem to be relevant anymore.
I'm not even sure people remember what this is even about anymore, either. This stopped being about deflated footballs a long time ago. Everyone is in agreement that the amount of air in the balls had no impact on the outcome of the game. The Patriots crushed the Colts that day. That wouldn't have changed if the balls were straight out of the box or if they were filled with helium.
What this has turned into is essentially a one-on-one battle between Tom Brady and Roger Baddell. Did Baddell go overboard in issuing a four-game suspension? Probably. Most people agree on this point. He should've been suspended, but the consensus is an area around two games, which would've been appropriate. But Brady definitely deserved some sort of punishment, if not for deliberately being involved in the deflating, then at the very least for hindering the investigation and destroying evidence.
Keep the NFL's state of mind last summer in mind, too. Baddell had just badly screwed up the Ray Rice situation and they were getting crushed in the media about player safety and the concussion lawsuit. Baddell was in a bad place. Now he had to deal with this Brady nonsense. And this was the second time the Patriots thought the rules didn't apply to them. He'd gone light on them after Spygate. Now, here they were doing it again. Did that come into his mindset? Most likely.
But look past all that. None of that is at the heart of the matter anymore. Both appeals, Brady's original one and the NFL's counter, were about the process. And, like it or not, the established process is pretty clear. It's in the CBA. That's why today's decision was a predictable one.
The appeals court wasn't in a position to rule on whether or not they agreed with Baddell's findings or the duration of Brady's suspension. All they were trying to determine was if Baddell acted within his rights or if he overstepped his bounds, as Judge Richard Berman previously did. In their eyes, he didn't. Why? Because Baddell acted within the authority that the NFLPA gave him in the CBA. And it's long been legal precedent that the courts don't reconsider rulings made by an arbitrator or second-guess a collective bargaining process.
Basically, the three judges told the NFLPA that if they don't like the process, they should do something about it the next time they negotiate the CBA. And what they told Tom Brady is that nobody's buying his act. This is getting more and more embarrassing for him, and he'll almost certainly have to sit out the first four games of the 2016 season.
Had Brady just accepted his suspension when it was first issued, this whole ordeal would've been over a long time ago. Hopefully now it finally is. Although, seeing as it's already gone on this long, I highly doubt that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see Brady serve his suspension at the start of the 2017 season. Because it sure looks like that's the way this is going.
This is just the latest chapter in Deflategate, the NFL's never-ending story. Stay tuned. There's bound to be more.
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