Tom Brady’s petition for rehearing denied by Court of Appeals

Tom Brady’s petition for a rehearing regarding his Deflategate suspension has been denied by the Court of Appeals.

Tom Brady and the National Football League’s Player Association have fought tooth and nail to have Brady’s suspension for his alleged role in Deflategate negated. After the NFL petitioned the initial ruling that overruled the suspension (and won), Brady’s camp immediately filed a petition to the Second Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals for a rehearing. His petition has been denied.

That means that, for now, Brady will remain suspended for the first four games of the 2016 NFL season. If the past is any indicator, this likely isn’t the last word in this ordeal. At this point, Brady and his camp are mostly out of options. The last option that they can pursue is taking it to the United States Supreme Court. It is worth noting that the Supreme Court currently only has eight justices, so a ruling might not be able to be made.

Should Brady remain suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, the New England Patriots will turn to backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo will play the first four games, during which the Patriots will play the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills. The Patriots’ lone away game during that span is against the Cardinals.

There is a very real chance that Deflategate could be going all the way to the Supreme Court.

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