New England Patriots Ask Federal Appeals Court to Rehear ‘Deflategate' Case

Court papers say the Patriots "strongly believe" nobody tampered with footballs at the 2015 AFC Championship game

The New England Patriots have asked a federal appeals court in New York City to rehear the "Deflategate" case.

The team said in court papers filed Wednesday in Manhattan that it has a "strong interest" in sparing quarterback Tom Brady from starting the season with a four-game suspension.

The papers say the Patriots "strongly believe" nobody tampered with footballs at the 2015 AFC Championship game. New England defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in that game and went on to win the Super Bowl.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-to-1 last month to reinstate Brady's four-game suspension. A lower-court judge had ruled last September that the NFL erred in its handling of the probe of the deflated footballs and he rejected the suspension a week before the season began.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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