Appeals court rules Roger Goodell has power, Tom Brady suspension reinstated

It's draft week! So, of course we're talking about the quarterback of a team that has no first round pick. Tom Brady saw his previous four-game suspension reinstated in appeals court today. He was suspended initially as part of 'Deflategate' aka "Ballghazi' which is also the reason the Patriots are without a first round pick.

That suspension was overturned by a circuit court, but has now been reinstated.

What the court ruled on was not whether Brady was guilty of having his ball deflated below NFL standards, but whether it was in Commissioner Goodell's power to levy the punishment. They ruled it was within his right to punish Brady as he saw fit. And per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, he has that power.

That's also not to say Brady and the Patriots did nothing wrong. In this case, it centered mostly around Brady destroying his phone and thereby potential evidence that was needed in the case.

The Patriots as an organization are also kinda known for going outside of NFL rules and regulations in order to gain a competitive advantage and this isn't the first time they've been punished for it in the case of Spygate. Unfortunately, they been rewarded for it far more than they've been punished.

Needless to say, not many people are feeling sorry for the Patriots and Tom Brady in all this. Where the rest of the NFL players remain concerned is the level of unchecked power the commissioner possesses. He now has a court ruling to further validate that he can arbitrarily hand down suspensions, fines, and other penalties as he sees fit. Without precedence or guidelines. Something the NFLPA would like to see amended as soon as possible.

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