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Reports: Tom Brady gives NFLPA go-ahead to appeal in federal court

While we waited for the deflate-gate appeal verdict to come in, there were reports that the NFLPA and Tom Brady were willing to go to federal court if the suspension wasn't overturned.

They weren't bluffing, it turns out.

ESPN's Jim Trotter and NFL Media's Albert Breer both reported that Brady has given the NFLPA permission to appeal his four-game suspension in federal court. On Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced he upheld Brady's four-game suspension, despite Brady's appeal.

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If the NFLPA takes its case to federal court, it will draw out one of the biggest controversies in the NFL in many years. It has been speculated that Brady could seek an injunction so he could play while the case goes through court. There's no guarantee he would get that injunction, and there's a gamble if he gets it. If the case wraps up in federal court late in the season and the suspension holds, Brady could miss some key late-season games, maybe even playoff contests.

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The NFL tried to beat the NFLPA to the punch. On Tuesday afternoon the league asked a federal court in New York to confirm the suspension, according to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News. That adds another messy layer, as jurisdiction is decided. Soshnick points out the NFL likely filed in New York to steer the case away from Judge David Doty in Minnesota, who has favored with the union before.

As everyone figured, Goodell's ruling on Brady's appeal wasn't the end of this controversy. There's still plenty to come.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!