NEW YORK — Tom Brady might have reason to practice more intensely after a federal judge made clear Wednesday that the NFL’s four-game suspension of the New England Patriots quarterback over “Deflategate” is in jeopardy.
U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman, who has been asked by NFL Players Association to void the suspension, warned a league lawyer during oral arguments in the scandal over underinflated footballs that there was precedent for judges to toss out penalties issued by arbitrators.
Berman continued to push for a settlement in the dispute, but throughout the hearing he also cited several weaknesses in the way the NFL handled the controversy that could become the basis for handing a victory to Brady and his union.