Brady to appeal ‘Deflategate’ ruling, lawyer tells ABC

Seahawks’ Sherman hopes for change of heart from Lynch

WASHINGTON, May 23, (RTRS): New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will appeal the federal court ruling reinstating his four-game suspension for “Deflategate” to the entire US Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Brady’s lawyer told ABC News on Monday.

“The facts here are so drastic, and so apparent, that the court should rehear it,” Brady’s attorney, former US Solicitor General Ted Olson, told ABC News in an interview.

Brady, 38, was suspended in May 2015, four months after the National Football League (NFL) found underinflated footballs were used in the Patriots’ 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts in January 2015’s AFC championship game.

The victory propelled the Patriots to the Super Bowl where they beat the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, giving Brady his fourth championship title.

The NFL suspended Brady, twice the league’s most valuable player, after a lawyer hired by the league to investigate the incident said the quarterback was “generally aware” that two Patriots employees had conspired to deflate the balls, which could make them easier to grip.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the suspension in July, prompting the legal challenge on Brady’s behalf. The quarterback has denied knowing about any plan to deflate footballs.

In a split 2-1 decision last month, a three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a ruling that overturned the decision to penalize Brady.

Olson said Brady would seek an “en banc” review in which the court’s entire roster of 13 active judges would rehear the case and render a decision.

The 2nd Circuit is known among federal appellate courts for rarely granting such requests. It has held only one en banc hearing in the last three years.

If the court denies the motion, the next step for Brady and the NFL players union would be to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is hoping for a change of heart from running back Marshawn Lynch, who announced February.

Sherman told NFL Media’s Michael Robinson that he is not fully convinced Beast Mode’s career is officially over.

“I don’t put anything past him,” Sherman said on Saturday. “He’s about as predictable as a pair of dice. So I don’t try to call his plays. But obviously, it’s

his

retirement

in going to be different.

Lynch, 30, did not formally announce his retirement, instead he posted a telling but cryptic message to social media with a photo of neon green and gold Nike cleats hanging. The message was first seen on Twitter during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 50 on Feb 7.

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed No. 5 overall pick Jalen Ramsey to a fouryear rookie contract Sunday.

The deal for the cornerback is worth $23.35 million with a $15.18 million signing bonus, based on the NFL’s slotting system for rookies.

Ramsey suffered a “small tear” to the meniscus in his right knee during phase two on-field workouts last week.

Ramsey, a multi-talented cornerback/ safety from Florida State, became the sixth of seven 2016 draft selections to sign with the team.