New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is to appeal a court ruling reinstating his four-game suspension for "Deflategate" to the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
"The facts here are so drastic, and so apparent, that the court should rehear it," Brady's attorney, former US Solicitor General Ted Olson, told ABC News.
Brady, 38, was initially suspended in May 2015, four months after the NFL found that underinflated footballs were used in the Patriots' 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in January 2015's AFC championship game, and the controversy has hung over the NFL ever since.
The victory propelled the Patriots to the Super Bowl, where they defeated the Seattle Seahawks to give Brady his fourth title.
The NFL suspended Brady after a lawyer hired by the league to investigate the incident said Brady was "generally aware" that two Patriots employees had conspired to deflate the balls, which could make them easier to grip.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the suspension last July, prompting a legal challenge from Brady, who denied knowing about any plan to deflate footballs. A district court in New York overturned Goodell's decision in September, allowing Brady to play the entire 2015 season.
But the NFL appealed that ruling, claiming an agreement with the players' union gave Goodell the power to adjudicate on disciplinary matters, and the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals backed up that argument by upholding Brady's suspension last month.
Tom Brady to launch another appeal of 'Deflategate' suspension
