Reinstatement of Tom Brady's four-game "Deflategate" suspension affirmed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's power — a major point of contention for the NFL players' union.
The league and the NFLPA have disagreed for years over Goodell's authority to punish players who violate the personal conduct policy. The union wants a neutral arbiter to issue discipline. The NFL won't relent.
So why didn't the NFLPA fight harder to take central power away from Goodell during the last negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement in 2011?
It's not that simple.
The perception that the union fell short on this issue gained steamed Monday when a federal appeals court ruled 2-to-1 that Goodell did not deprive Brady of "fundamental fairness" with his procedural rulings.