NFLPA on Brady ruling: CBA does not grant Goodell 'the authority to be unfair'

The NFLPA scored a major victory Thursday with the nullification of Tom Brady's four-game suspension and was quick to praise U.S. District Judge Richard Berman for affirming the rights of all NFL players.

Although he didn't mention him by name, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith made a point of mentioning commissioner Roger Goodell's poor record in court in the union's official statement on the Brady ruling:

This decision should prove, once and for all, that our Collective Bargaining Agreement does not grant this Commissioner the authority to be unfair, arbitrary and misleading. While the CBA grants the person who occupies the position of Commissioner the ability to judiciously and fairly exercise the designated power of that position, the union did not agree to attempts to unfairly, illegally exercise that power, contrary to what the NFL has repeatedly and wrongfully claimed.

We are happy for the victory of the rule of law for our players and our fans. This court’s decision to overturn the NFL Commissioner again should signal to every NFL owner that collective bargaining is better than legal losses. Collective bargaining is a much better process that will lead to far better results.