Ever since Deflategate and ever since Roger Goodell handed down a four-game suspension to Tom Brady, the NFL’s “Golden Boy,” Brady has got body slammed repeatedly in the court of public opinion. But today, in the only court that matters, he won.
The judge sided with Brady and lifted his four-game suspension, which means that Brady will play opening night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
U.S. 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.” Brady has insisted he played no role in a conspiracy to deflate footballs below the allowable limit at last season’s AFC Championship Game.
And just like that, Tom Brady has now officially beaten Roger Goodell and the NFL.
But was this decision really that surprising?
Whether or not you believe that justice was upheld today in this matter, or if you simply didn’t care, the NFL may have actually won even though they lost their case.
Was the NFL really prepared to keep the quarterback with the most Superbowl wins in the last 15 years and arguably the face of the NFL out of opening night’s game?
Were they really going to keep him from playing against another historic franchise in the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happens to have the most Lombardi trophies? Especially with underlying story-lines such as Mike Vick being back in the NFL, and with dog lovers everywhere plotting their revenge against Vick and the Steelers for signing him.
We’re talking about a ratings bonanza, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the ratings from this game alone could be on par with ratings from the Superbowl. Okay, maybe not last season’s Superbowl, but certainly a Superbowl.
Ultimately, the revenue from game one of the season is way bigger than a few deflated footballs. And it makes for a better game, which makes for a better way to kick off the season.
And I’m not saying that Brady did no wrong. Because honestly, I think there was some things that he could have done differently, perhaps, that could have avoided this from even being taken to trial.
I’ve always been a part of the camp that said “if what Brady did was so bad, then why did the NFL wait so long to dole out its punishment?” Also, if what he did was so bad, the NFL should not have allowed the Patriots to play the Seahawks in the Superbowl, if just the week before they were found to be cheating. If all the evidence was there to support this claim, I would’ve been all for the suspension and forfeiture of the game against the Colts.
But apparently, in the end there wasn’t.
