In Roger Goodell’s nearly decade-long zeal to establish order in the National Football League, he has handed down penalties for everything from domestic violence to dogfighting to deflating footballs.
But as was made apparent again Thursday, when a federal judge threw out a four-game suspension he assessed against the league’s biggest star, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the commissioner continues to stumble in policing America’s most popular sport and making the tough calls stick. Goodell had suspended Brady in connection with accusations that he played a role in deflating footballs for competitive advantage in a January championship game.