It’s been roughly three weeks since a federal court ruled Tom Brady must serve his four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate. Nothing new has happened with the case since, besides Brady and the NFLPA getting extra time to plan their next step.
There are still many questions with the case from a legal standpoint — the biggest being will Brady in fact miss the first four games of the season?
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio had a great breakdown of what is next for Brady. Here are some of the highlights:
— By Monday, Brady and the NFLPA will likely file a petition for a rehearing of the federal appeal. If the petition is granted, Brady likely will able to play the entire 2016 season as the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit hears the case.
— On the other hand, if the petition is denied, Brady and the NFLPA would need to take further action to delay the suspension and persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case.
— Brady and the NFLPA would need to ask the Second Circuit for a stay of the suspension while an appeal is prepared for the U.S. Supreme Court. If the request is denied, Brady and the NFLPA would then need to present to the full U.S. Supreme Court, but to the lone Supreme Court justice assigned to the Second Circuit.
— As it stands now Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is that person, which Florio says is good news for Brady as she typically sides with labor over management. She could be the key to the entire case as if she did issue a stay, Brady wouldn’t have to serve a suspension until likely 2017 at the earliest.
As always with this case, stay tuned.
