New England Patriots

Players’ union appeals Tom Brady’s suspension

AP

A day after the NFL commissioner upheld his own decision to suspend Tom Brady for four games, the NFL Players’ Association filed an appeal to lift the penalty.

Saying the NFL had given the “back of the hand’’ to established arbitration principles, the union called on a federal court in Minnesota to vacate Commissioner Roger Goodell’s suspension of Brady, and said that not letting Brady play in the Patriots’ first four games would “irreparably harm’’ the quarterback.

In a wide-ranging filing that outlined the history of events that became known as “Deflategate,’’ the union questioned the NFL’s initial response to the Indianapolis Colts’ accusation that the Patriots deliberately underinflated balls. It challenged the fairness of Goodell’s penalty and the appeals process.

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It also mocked the NFL’s new disclosure that Brady destroyed his cell phone as a “red herring.’’

Read the NFLPA’s appeal here.

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