New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game Deflategate suspension has been reinstated, a United States appeals court ruled Monday.
Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season for his alleged role in a scheme to deflate footballs before the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 18, 2015. Brady’s suspension was overturned in federal court last September and he was allowed to play the entire regular season.
In October, the NFL appealed the court’s decision, arguing commissioner Roger Goodell was within his bounds to suspend Brady based on the 2011 collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFLPA.
In 16 games last season, Brady completed 64.4% of his passes for 4,770 yards with 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 102.2 passer rating, his highest passer rating since 2011. The Patriots finished the season 12–4 and lost to the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
Jimmy Garoppolo is listed second on the Patriots’ depth chart at quarterback.
