Tom Brady's lawsuit to be argued in New York, not Minnesota
— -- NEW YORK -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's lawsuit against the NFL in which he wants his four-game suspension overturned will be heard in New York instead of Minnesota.
Brady and the players' union filed their suit Wednesday in Minnesota. But the NFL already had filed papers Tuesday in New York, moments after announcing that commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the suspension for Brady's involvement in the use of underinflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Kyle ordered the transfer.
The judge wrote that he "sees little reason for this action to have been commenced in Minnesota at all." He noted that Brady plays in Massachusetts, the union is headquartered in Washington and the NFL in New York. Kyle added that "the arbitration proceedings took place in New York and the award was issued in New York."
The union has previously had success in litigation in Minnesota, which is considered a labor-friendly state. Additionally, U.S. District Judge David Doty has heard many cases related to the NFL and has at times sided with the players union in the past, including when he overturned the suspension of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.
The move to consolidate the lawsuits involving Brady in New York is seen as an initial victory for the NFL in that the league was successful in choosing the jurisdiction to hear the arguments.
The NFL's action was part of what seemed to anger Patriots owner Robert Kraft in his Wednesday remarks, when he appeared to direct a salvo at NFL general counsel Jeff Pash in saying, "Now the league has taken the matter to court, which is a tactic that only a lawyer would recommend."
Information from ESPN.com's Joe McDonald, Mike Reiss and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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