The Second Circuit Court of appeals has overturned the decision of the judge who disallowed the NFL to suspend Tom Brady for four games.  It’s unlikely that Brady, the Patriots or the player’s union will appeal the case to the Supreme Court.  If that is the case, Brady will not be able to play in the first four games of the 2016 season.  Those games are against the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, the Carolina Panthers and the NY Giants.

The panel voted 2-1 to uphold the suspension.  But even the third judge did not question Brady’s guilt.  He dissented because he thought an alternative punishment should have been utilized by the NFL.  The Appeals Court decision overruled the decision by Manhattan Judge Richard Berman, who had ruled against the league.

This will revive the argument over whether Brady was involved in Inflategate or not.  Of course Patriot fans would argue his innocence no matter what.  Someone started a joke saying he only dates female Patriot fans because they don’t care if you cheat.  It didn’t help Brady’s case that he destroyed his cell phone to prevent checking any calls he may have made to the two employees who carried out the deflation of footballs.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell insisted the suspension was deserved.