Patriots QB Tom Brady’s Deflategate win over the NFL "could have a trickledown effect" for Cowboys DE Greg Hardy, according to Drew Davison of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. Thursday's ruling "could come into play" in regards to whether Hardy "takes his four-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy to court." A source said that Hardy, whose suspension is set to begin Saturday, is "expected to consult with the NFLPA about whether to fight his suspension." It is a decision that "has been discussed for weeks, and this could finally make the best route clear to the Hardy camp." Hardy, it would seem, "has more of a chance to get his suspension reduced, or possibly eliminated, with the Brady ruling." The drawback, though, "is whether Hardy wants to bring a May 2014 domestic violence incident back in the news" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 9/4). USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes a man in Hardy who "behaved as a monster is now emboldened by Judge Richard Berman’s ruling, wondering if he too might be able to win more NFL playing time on procedural grounds." How Hardy "even has a job in the NFL after what he did is a question we all should be asking, but after Thursday’s ruling, there’s no point in doing that anymore." Had NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "kicked him out for a year, or two, or life, we now can guess that a judge would have brought him right back." The disconnect "is fascinating" (USATODAY.com, 9/3).
EAR-TO-EAR GRINS: In Pittsburgh, Ron Cook writes there was "rejoicing in every NFL locker room" when Berman announced his decision. Cook: "The players love to see Goodell squirm. They love to see his power questioned. That’s especially true of the Steelers, who were the only team to vote against" the '11 CBA's ratification (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/4). Steelers G and union rep Ramon Foster said that he "wasn't surprised by the ruling, one that is a blow to the league's powers in disciplining its players." In Pittsburgh, Chris Adamski reports Foster "applauded Brady for taking on the Goodell machine." He said, "It's great, it's a good look for the union" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 9/4). In DC, Adam Kilgore in a front-page piece writes the NFL’s defeat "makes it vulnerable to future challenges." Players "will be emboldened by Brady, perhaps the biggest star in the sport, taking on the NFL and winning." That means the league, "unless it changes its process, could again find itself entangled in a drawn-out court case and at risk of suffering another rebuke in federal court" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/4).
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: In West Palm Beach, Hal Habib writes Brady's win "may ultimately affect the Dolphins off the field as well as on it." Both Brady and former Dolphins trainer Kevin O’Neill, who was fired in '13 amid the Dolphins' bullying scandal, asserted that it is "unfair to have the league hand down punishment and also have appeals also heard by" Goodell. In March, O’Neill "filed suit in Palm Beach County Court against the Dolphins, owner Stephen Ross and coach Joe Philbin, alleging he was made into a 'pariah' in the athletic community from the bullying incident involving Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin." O’Neill "was fired during the NFL Combine in Indianapolis as he was being honored as the league’s top trainer" (PALM BEACH POST, 9/4).
