Tom Brady's 'Deflate-Gate' Suspension Ruling Expected by Wednesday

BySUSANNA KIM ABCNews logo
Monday, August 31, 2015

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is set to find out within the next two days whether his four-game suspension is upheld or overturned, according to the judge hearing his lawsuit against the NFL.

Brady is fighting his four-game suspension that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ordered over the "deflate-gate" accusation that stemmed from the last playoff season.

Federal judge Richard Berman said at a hearing today in New York that the two sides did not reach a settlement, and that he would issue a written ruling on Tuesday or Wednesday. Brady smiled as he walked in the courthouse, with his hands stuffed in his blue suit pants pockets.

Both sides -- Brady and the NFL Players Association in one corner and the NFL and Goodell in the other -- had asked the judge for a ruling by Friday. Patriots fans are waiting with bated breath before the team's first game of the season on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Berman credited each side with trying to reach a settlement, saying today, "I have no qualms about everybody's dedication."

Brady's suspension was first handed down in May, along with a fine levied on the New England Patriots. The suspension was then upheld by the NFL in July. The punishment revolves around the deflation of footballs used during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 18. The Patriots won that game 45-7, then went on to win the Super Bowl on Feb. 1 against the Seattle Seahawks.

"I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either," Brady wrote in a Facebook post last month.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he regrets not taking legal action in May when the team was first fined by the NFL.

"I was wrong to put my faith in the league," Kraft said during a news conference last month, adding that Brady "is a person of great integrity and is a great ambassador of the game both on and off the field."

Attorney Ted Wells, who has led the deflate-gate investigation, stated in May that it "is more than probable" that Brady "was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities" involving the release of air from the Patriots' footballs. Brady has denied the allegation.

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