Although the story of Tom Brady, deflategate, Roger Goodell and the NFL appealing isn’t over, there are enough funny memes out there celebrating or making fun of the whole situation, as Brady gets his four game suspension lifted.
Turns out the “evidence” the league had on Brady wasn’t enough. The Wells report wasn’t enough. Him smashing his phone the day it was supposed to get checked wasn’t enough. District judge Richard M. Berman said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell went too far in affirming punishment of the Super Bowl-winning quarterback, criticizing him for dispensing “his own brand of industrial justice.”
The league is appealing: We are grateful to Judge Berman for hearing this matter, but respectfully disagree with today’s decision. 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.
What matters though is that Brady will play while the appeal gets sorted out. That means no four games out, no Jimmy Garoppolo emerging out of nowhere to lead the Patriots, and above all else, the defending Super Bowl champions not having to worry about figuring out what to do without their star quarterback, even if everyone pretty much knows he did cheat. It’s a matter of getting caught.
