A federal judge ruled Thursday the NFL’s four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady violated the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players union, overturning NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision.
Goodell handed down the suspension in early May after accusations surfaced that Tom Brady had knowingly used semi-deflated footballs in the American Football Conference championship game against the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 18.
Oklahoma Christian University senior Josh Messick said he expected the NFL to try to punish Brady.
“I understand why the NFL [suspended Brady],” Messick said. “He’s literally the poster-boy of the NFL, so he needed to be made an example of.”
According to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman, the NFL failed to give players an advanced notice of potential disciplinary measures, did not produce a crucial witness and could only suggest that Brady had a “general awareness” of someone else’s wrongdoing.
Messick said because Patriots employees other than Brady had tampered with the footballs and known about the alterations to air pressure, he should not have been the only one to take the fall.
“Do I think he deserved to be punished? Yes,” Messick said. “Do I think that there should have been other people punished? Absolutely.”
Berman’s primary reasoning behind the ruling was what he called “the player’s right to notice,” meaning that it was the NFL’s obligation to inform players of the potential penalties if unacceptable behavior, such as tampering with game materials, occurred.
The success of Brady’s appeal will allow the quarterback to start with the Patriots for the first regular season game on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburg Steelers. Brady’s unexpected return will likely alter the results of many fans’ fantasy football seasons, Messick said.
“I bet everyone who picked him in fantasy, the people who called them dumb, they’re the ones going to feel really dumb now,” Messick said.
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