Here’s why Judge Berman sided with Tom Brady
The NFL’s case against Tom Brady didn’t stand up.
Federal court Judge Richard M. Berman issued his decision Thursday vacating NFL Commissioner’s Roger Goodell’s decision to uphold a 4-game suspension given to Tom Brady as punishment for his supposed role in a scheme to deflate footballs in January’s AFC Championship game.
In the Analysis section of his 40-page decision, Berman noted three main factors in his ruling:
The Court is fully aware of the deference afforded to arbitral decisions, but, nevertheless, concludes that the Award should be vacated. The Award is premised upon several significant legal deficiencies, including (A) inadequate notice to Brady of both his potential discipline (fourgame suspension) and his alleged misconduct; (B) denial of the opportunity for Brady to examine one of two lead investigators, namely NFL Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jeff Pash; and (C) denial of equal access to investigative files, including witness interview notes.
Berman explains each point of his decision in detail over the 40-page writeup, which can be read in full below.
Point A is discussed from pgs. 21-32, Point B is discussed from pgs. 32-36 and Point C is discussed from pgs. 36-38.
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