Roger Goodell and the NFL will most likely see Tom Brady in court, as the league commissioner has announced his decision to uphold the original four-game suspension of the Patriots quarterback for his alleged role in the “Deflategate” investigation.  Brady, with the help of the NFL Players Association, will now most likely pursue a legal path against the league in order to overturn what they clearly see as an unfair ruling, though no official course has been announced as of yet.

Here’s a link to the NFL’s full “Final Decision.” In it, the league makes several notable admissions, including the allegation that Brady “arranged for the destruction of potentially relevant evidence that had been specifically requested.” Of course, critics of the league will scoff at Goodell’s claim in the conclusion that “I entered into the appeal process open to reevaluating my assessment of Mr. Brady’s conduct and the associated discipline.”

This passage is being seen as the critical new detail in the charges Goodell judged Brady on, where details of Brady destroying the requested cellphone are made:

Nonetheless, the reality of the situation is that Brady will have to fight it out in court, or accept the suspension. And given his continued intent to clear his name, it appears overwhelmingly likely that Brady will go to court.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback, who was infamously tied to the Patriots’ alleged deflation of footballs by the NFL-sanctioned “Wells Report” as being “more probably than not” aware of the illegal activity, was originally suspended by Goodell for four regular season games to start the 2015 season. The Super Bowl winner appealed the commissioner’s decision, hoping that he would be completely cleared.

And the NFLPA jumped in to support one of its marquee players, triggering a back and forth fight that has lasted months, even outlasting Boston’s Olympic bid.

Via Keith Allison, CC By SA 2.0