NFL asks for expedited appeal of nixed Deflategate suspension
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell watches the pregame warms up prior to the start of the game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets at Ford Field on November 24, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Bills defeated the Jets 38-3. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) Quarterback Tom Brady attends the welterweight unification championship bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao on May 2, 2015 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The NFL is asking the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for an expedited hearing in its appeal of a federal judge's decision to nix New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's "Deflategate" suspension.
League attorneys said in a filing Friday afternoon that the appeal is important to resolve quickly because it deals with how the league and the players' union work together under the collective bargaining agreement.
Oral arguments would be heard as early as January under the proposed schedule, with earlier deadlines for briefs from the league, the union and Brady.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NFL attorney Daniel Nash says in the filing that Brady and the union agree with the schedule so everyone can properly plan for the 2016 season.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman lifted the suspension earlier this month, saying NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell dispensed "his own brand of industrial justice" when Brady was punished for using underinflated footballs in a game during last season's playoffs.