The NFL has already won an early battle in its impending legal war against Tom Brady.
On Wednesday, the NFL Players Association filed a lawsuit against the league in Minnesota — a place where players have had success in court against the NFL in the past. However, a judge ruled on Thursday morning that the suit should be transferred to New York, which is where the NFL is seeking to have a federal court confirm its ruling in the Brady appeal hearing.
“This court appreciates no ‘compelling circumstances’ undermining application of the first-filed rule to transfer this action from Minnesota to New York, where the first action was filed,” U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle wrote in his decision, via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. “Indeed, this court sees little reason for this action to have been commenced in Minnesota at all. Brady plays for a team in Massachusetts; the Union is headquartered in Washington, D.C.; the NFL is headquartered in New York; the arbitration proceedings took place in New York; and the award was issued in New York. In the undersigned’s view, therefore, it makes eminent sense the NFL would have commenced its action seeking confirmation of the award in the Southern District of New York. Why the instant action was filed here, however, is far less clear.”
While that doesn’t mean Brady stands no chance, it’s great news for the NFL for obvious reasons. From a legal standpoint, the league’s decision to immediately seek confirmation in a federal court in Manhattan was very wise.
U.S. District Court Judge David S. Doty, who presides in Minnesota, has been heavily involved with the NFL and its collective bargaining agreement. He’s the same judge who ruled in favor of Adrian Peterson last year, though it made sense to have the case heard there since Peterson plays in Minnesota.
No matter how strong his case or how much he actually cooperated (Brady says he did), this is not good news for the Patriots.
