NFL wins first round, as Brady court battle sent to New York

The NFLPA wanted to argue its appeal of Tom Brady’s four-game suspension in federal court in Minnesota, presumably with Judge David Doty, who has ruled against the NFL in the past.

The NFL wanted to avoid Doty so badly that immediately after Roger Goodell upheld Brady’s suspension on Tuesday it filed its own case in New York, asking the court to uphold the ruling.

That tactic worked for the NFL, at least in terms of getting the venue it wanted. The case will be in New York.

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NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said on the “Dan Patrick Show” (via Pro Football Talk) that the court case the NFLPA filed in Minnesota has been moved to New York. That doesn’t mean the NFLPA can’t win its appeal. But one has to assume the league had good reason to so badly want the case to be heard in New York and not Minnesota. You don’t secretly plan to file in New York as the commissioner drags out his decision, then rush to beat the NFLPA to the punch the moment the ruling is announced if there wasn’t good reason.

Many legal experts have weighed in saying that Brady and the union face long odds to win in court against the NFL. Maybe those odds are even longer after the NFL got its preferred venue.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab