As everyone knows by now, Tom Brady’s four-game suspension has been erased.
Now I understand that some people had already labeled Brady as a cheater as soon as all of the bogus news coverage broke out after the AFC Championship game. Those people are called haters, and there’s absolutely nothing that will sway their opinion. They will continue to make up reasons that Brady is a cheater and a liar no matter what any judge says. But before any of those jealous Brady bashers start spewing nonsense about the Patriots paying off Richard Berman or Berman having Brady on his fantasy team, here are a few things they should keep in mind:
If you think Brady had knowledge of footballs being deflated, guess what? You might be right. I certainly don’t think he did, simply because he’s an embodiment of the perfect human and therefore his integrity should never be in question. But I’m a Patriots fan so go ahead and call me biased. Let’s say that Brady was “generally aware” of footballs being deflated. Then, when you’re done trying to tarnish the reputation of the greatest quarterback ever because you’re mad that he always beats your team, show me some evidence.
The bottom line is that this trial was not about deflated footballs. It was about Roger Goodell handing down a four-game suspension to one of the greatest players in NFL history despite not having any evidence to support his decision. It was about showing an egomaniac on an all-out power trip that he needs to chill the fuck out and stop handing out fines and suspensions because he feels like it or because he wants to endear himself to the Patriots’ haters that seemingly make up the majority of football fans in America (probably because Brady has a winning record against every team in the NFL since he entered the league).
If you actually think that Brady deserved a suspension equivalent to that of a PED user, even if he did have knowledge of the situation, then you are as delusional as Rex Ryan making preseason predictions. Nobody who knows anything about football should even care if the balls were deflated because the Patriots’ 28-0 thrashing of the Colts after the balls had been fixed at halftime is enough proof that it had absolutely no effect on the outcome of the game. So even if there was evidence that he was involved, anything more than a slap on the wrist would have been too much. But again, no evidence, no suspension. It’s as clear as day.
Judge Berman’s 40-page decision has been released, and here are some highlights that show why he had no choice but to throw away Brady’s suspension:
Berman cited three reasons as to why the suspension should be vacated. “Inadequate notice to Brady of both his potential discipline (four-game suspension) and his alleged misconduct”, “denial of the opportunity for Brady to examine one of two lead investigators, namely NFL Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jeff Pash”, and “denial of equal access to investigative files, including witness interview notes”. It’s hilarious how people thought Brady was guilty because he destroyed his cell phone and therefore failed to cooperate with the investigation. I’m aware that destroying his phone wasn’t a great idea but if you want to talk about failing to cooperate just look at the shady shit that Goodell tried to pull. This guy actually thought he could get away with anything.
Judge Berman states that Brady had “no notice that he could receive a four-game suspension for general awareness of ball deflation by others or participation in any scheme to deflate footballs, and non-cooperation with the ensuing investigation.” Berman went on to bash Goodell for claiming that Brady received the same suspension as a steroid user because according to Goodell it was “the most comparable effort by a player to secure an improper competitive advantage and to cover up the underlying violation.” Berman responded to that claim by saying that the NFL’s Steroid Policy “cannot reasonably be used as a comparator for Brady’s four-game suspension for alleged ball deflation by others.” He goes on to mention that the Steroid Policy is incorporated into the 2014 Player Policies, which “sets forth in great detail ‘testing procedures’, ‘procedures in response to positive tests and other evaluations’, ‘suspension and related discipline’, ‘appeal right’, ‘burdens of standards and proof’, and ‘discovery’, none of which has anything to do with Brady’s conduct and/or his discipline.”
I could quote more but you get the point. Roger Goodell had absolutely no clue what he was doing. He was never ready for this to go to court because he never expected it to. He actually thought he could do whatever he wants with no consequences. Tom Brady didn’t just win this case, he beat it worse than he beat the Colts in the AFC Championship game. Judge Berman knew this case was going to be a joke on the first day of trial when he said “I’m not sure where the ‘gate’ comes from” in deflategate. He was basically saying that there’s not even enough evidence for this to be classified as a controversy. Unfortunately for Goodell, Tom Brady doesn’t take shit from anyone and he was willing to go the distance until justice was served. What Brady did was stand up for the rights of NFL players across the league, which is why he’s had support from guys who normally aren’t his biggest fans (Richard Sherman, Terrell Suggs, Antonio Cromartie).
Anyone who still calls Brady a cheater at this point is just a lost soul who is completely ignoring the facts in order to support their own agenda which is to discredit the Patriots accomplishments. To those people, I’m truly sorry. I’m sorry that your favorite team sucks and you can’t understand why the Patriots go at least 12-4 every single year. I’m sorry that the only way you can make yourself feel better is to put imaginary asterisks next to the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins. And most of all, I’m sorry that you will have to watch Brady shred your team and the rest of the NFL to pieces this season because you have absolutely pissed him off beyond measure this time. We all know how Tom plays when he’s angry, so if you’re one of those haters who is helplessly trying to destroy his legacy, then don’t start making up more excuses when he puts up 50 points on your hometown squad this year. It’s time to man up and point your finger in the mirror. You have no one to blame but yourself.
