Tom Brady
Roger Goodell explains why the Tom Brady ruling was important
Tom Brady

Roger Goodell explains why the Tom Brady ruling was important

Published Apr. 26, 2016 9:59 a.m. ET

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell didn't sound like a guy willing to give up his disciplinary duties as he applauded an appeals court's ruling to reinstate the four-game suspension handed down originally to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Goodell, speaking to Bloomberg TV, said that the court's decision proved his original ruling was correct and that it proves he should be the ultimate arbiter of NFL discipline.

"We're obviously pleased with the court's decision. We think that was the right decision. They were very firm in their decision that that was within our authority and the judgments were based on solid facts. So we're actually pleased with that, and we hope we can move on from there," Goodell said on Monday.

And despite calls for him to step aside on player discipline in favor of an unaffiliated third-party -- and rumors that it's in the works -- he says this is proof he's doing the job right.

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"We think it's important that the commissioner protect the integrity of the game, that you can't entrust that to someone who has no understanding of our business, and the appellate court yesterday reaffirmed that," Goodell said.

For Brady's part, he'll have to sit out the first four games of this season -- which actually shouldn't be too bad for the Patriots. And thanks to some shrewd offseason contract restructuring, it won't hurt his wallet too much either.

(h/t to PFT)

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