The law remains unclear as a federal judge in Manhattan sets aside the punishment handed down by the NFL against Tom Brady of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Judge Richard Berman, threw out the four game suspension for whatever role Brady had in the deflation of footballs. “Because there was no notice of a four-game suspension in the circumstances presented here, Commissioner Goodell may be said to have `dispensed his own brand of industrial justice,”‘ Berman wrote, partially citing wording from a previous case. Roger Goodell quickly announced the NFL would appeal the decision, saying in a statement, “We will appeal today’s ruling in order to uphold the collectively bargained responsibility to protect the integrity of the game. The commissioner’s responsibility to secure the competitive fairness of our game is a paramount principle, and the league and our 32 clubs will continue to pursue a path to that end.” Professional sport must closely guard the integrity of the game or criminal interests will eagerly work to fix professional contests. There are easily won billions at stake.
