Letters: With Brady's suspension, order restored in NFL

ISSUE | FOOTBALL

Order restored

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit brought common sense to the case of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the underinflated footballs by upholding a sports commissioner's power to investigate misconduct and impose discipline ("Brady's 4-game suspension reinstated," Tuesday).

In 1920, Major League Baseball owners installed Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as commissioner to restore the integrity of the nation's pastime after the Black Sox scandal. Landis succeeded, and the other major sports followed baseball's model of assigning disciplinary powers to a commissioner.

In "Deflategate," National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell had every right to conclude that Brady should be accountable when an investigation revealed that footballs in a playoff game had been manipulated for the benefit of the person paid to throw them. This was a right granted to Goodell in collective bargaining and a role that should never have been usurped by a federal judge.

Monday's ruling also upholds the practical notion that a commissioner should be able to discourage the breaking of rules for competitive advantage.

|Sean Roman Strockyj, New Hyde Park, N.Y.