Roger Goodell Comments on Reinstatement of Tom Brady's Deflategate Suspension

On the heels of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's Deflategate suspension getting reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell commented on the matter Thursday.

According to CBS Boston, Goodell said on CBS This Morning that the reinstatement was due largely to the fact that the CBA gives him full disciplinary power: "Well, this wasn't about the actual violation. This was about the rights we had negotiated in our collective bargaining agreement, that we had in our collective bargaining agreement, and that we wanted to make sure we retained."

Brady was originally suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season due to his alleged role in the illegal deflating of footballs in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, but it was overturned by the District Court upon appeal. A panel of three judges reinstated the ban Monday, however, per CNN.com's Jill Martin.

In the CBS interview, Goodell reiterated his belief that the Court of Appeals was correct in its ruling:

"

This is a decision we reached last summer. It was the right decision in according with the Court of Appeals. I think this is the end of the matter. We're moving on and focusing on the draft. ... The court was very clear on the fact that the suspension was reinstated, that it should not have been overturned in the first place last summer by the District Court.

"

Goodell also expressed support for the process that was put in place for investigating Brady's involvement and determining the discipline against him: "There was an independent investigation on this, and an independent report that was presented to me. And that's what we based the judgment off of. And then we had a hearing, we had a process that is articulated in our collective bargaining agreement that has been there for several decades."

According to ESPN.com, Brady and the NFLPA have the right to petition for a rehearing or to take the case to the United States Supreme Court, although neither action is expected.

Assuming the four-game suspension remains intact this time, the Pats' stranglehold on the AFC East could potentially be in jeopardy.

Third-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is the only other signal-caller in place currently, and he has thrown just 31 regular-season passes during his young career.

The Patriots were prepared for the possibility of starting Garoppolo for four games last season, and unless they make a move in the draft or free agency, it appears he will finally get his chance in 2016.

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