NFL's DeflateGate Appeal Will Reportedly Be Heard March 3
BOSTON (CBS) -- We don't have to worry about DeflateGate taking up any more of our time until after Super Bowl 50, according to a report by Reuters.
The NFL's appeal of Judge Richard Berman's ruling to vacate Tom Brady's four-game suspension won't be heard until March 3, Reuters reported Monday. The hearing will come 25 days after Super Bowl 50 is played, so there should be no DeflateGate talk leading up to the big game.
The federal appeals court in New York will hear on March 3 the National Football League's appeal of the lifting of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension in the "Deflategate" controversy.
Monday's scheduling order from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should permit the league to complete its season, including Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7, without disruption from the court case.
The NFL suspended Brady for four games after Ted Wells' DeflateGate investigation concluded it was "more likely than not" that Brady was "generally aware" of a scheme to deflate game balls after they were inspected by NFL officials ahead of the 2014 AFC Championship game. Brady and the NFLPA appealed the suspension, and when Goodell upheld the ban, acting as arbitor, they took their fight to federal court. Judge Berman vacated the suspension on September 3.
