NFL Cheating Case Study

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In the 2015 AFC Championship game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, the Patriots were accused of cheating. This game decided who went to the Super Bowl. The Patriots ended up winning the game 45-7. The accusation against the Patriots, after the game, was that they used underinflated footballs. Using an under inflated football could help when throwing or catching the football because it could allow you to grip it better. The entire Patriot team was accused, but the one person that was mainly under speculation was Tom Brady. This was not the first time the Patriots had been accused of cheating. In a regular season game ,between the Colts and the Patriots, the Colts were suspicious of the balls being underinflated and reported …show more content…
Brady appealed to the league, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell affirmed the decision. In September 2015 Brady appealed to the federal court where US District Judge Richard Berman overturned Brady's suspension (“Brady’s”). Judge Berman said that he ruled in favor of Brady because "'several significant legal deficiencies," and there was many problems with the way in how Roger Goodell investigate the accusations that Brady played a part in the deflating of the footballs (Martin). The NFL then appealed to the 2nd Circuit, where a three-judge panel reinstated the suspension. Brady appealed to the 2nd U.S Circuit Court of Appeals, to reconsider their decision, but they rejected his appeal. After having his appeal rejected, Brady considered appealing to the U.S Supreme Court, but decided against it (“Brady’s”). The NFL Players Association were the ones who asked for Brady's case to be heard by a panel of judges after the suspension was reinstated. DeMaurice Smith the NFLPA Executive Director said "'(Brady) was not afforded fundamental fairness and due process as guaranteed by the collective agreement and case