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2nd Circuit Denies Appeal; Brady Suspension Heading For Surpreme Court?

Written By Bob Harris | fantasy football | Posted 13-Jul-16 @ 9:22 PT

Following up on the ongoing story. ... Tom Brady's chances at overturning his four-game suspension continue to diminish and fantasy football owners continue to gain clarity on the early part of their season.

This after the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied petition by Brady and the NFL Players Association on Wednesday to rehear his suspension case, meaning the New England Patriots quarterback's last opportunity to dissolve the NFL-issued punishment would have to come in a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brady has 90 days to appeal to file a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his appeal, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. It remains to be seen if Brady's legal team will appeal to country's highest court and, more importantly, if the court will hear the case.

According to NFL.com, if Brady petitions the Supreme Court, his legal team could first ask the Second Circuit Court for a stay of its decision. If the Second Circuit doesn't grant a stay, Brady's lawyers could then request for a stay from the Supreme Court, which would be decided by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. If Ginsberg granted a stay or the court decided to hear the case, Brady almost certainly would be eligible to play the entire 2016 season due the Supreme Court's schedule. Brady would be forced to serve his suspension if the Supreme Court chose not to hear the appeal.

As ABC News recently suggested, "While it seems improbable that the nation's highest tribunal would spend its time on the deflation of footballs, if this endless saga has taught us anything, it's that nothing is impossible. ..."

Brady was suspended four games by the NFL in May 2015 after an NFL-commissioned investigation conducted by attorney Ted Wells concluded it was "more probable than not" that Brady was "generally aware" of Patriots attendants deflating footballs prior to the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 18, 2015.

Should Brady remain suspended, he will miss the season opener at Arizona and then three home games against the Dolphins, Texans and Bills. Jimmy Garoppolo would be the starter for those games in Brady’s absence. He would be eligible to make his debut Oct. 9 on the road against the Cleveland Browns.