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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Tom Brady Denied Rehearing on Suspension

MANHATTAN (CN) — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady failed Wednesday to secure an Second Circuit rehearing of his four-game suspension over "Deflategate."

Brady, a four-time Super Bowl champion, faces the penalty for destroying his cellphone to keep it from the National Football League's investigation of deflated footballs from the Jan. 18, 2015, AFC Championship Game between Brady's Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts.

Though a federal judge vacated the quarterback's suspension last year, just weeks before the NFL's regular season began, an appeal revived the suspension.

This past April, a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit found that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had authority to suspend Brady under the league and union's collective-bargaining agreement.

The players' union sought a rehearing, either by the panel or en banc, but the Second Circuit shot down the maneuver Wednesday morning. The brief order contains no opinions or dissents on the case.

Brady could still find relief by petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.

Though Brady's lawyer declined to comment, the NFL Player's Association announced that the union would review its options.

"We are disappointed with the decision denying a rehearing, as there were clear violations of our collective bargaining agreement by the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell," the union said in an unsigned statement. "Despite today's result, the track record of this League office when it comes to matters of player discipline is bad for our business and bad for our game. We have a broken system that must be fixed."

The league did not release a statement by press time.

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