Court Rules Tom Brady Must Serve Suspension

A federal appeals court has ruled that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady must serve a four-game Deflategate suspension imposed by the NFL, overturning a lower judge and siding with the league in a battle with the NFL Players Association.

"We hold that the Commissioner properly exercised his broad discretion under the collective bargaining agreement and that his procedural rulings were properly grounded in that agreement and did not deprive Brady of fundamental fairness," the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday in a 2-1 decision in New York.

Brady, however, is not prepared to accept Monday's appeals court ruling and is exploring all his legal options with his attorneys, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The decision by a three-judge panel may end the legal debate over the scandal that led to months of football fans arguing over air pressure and the reputation of one of the league's top teams. It is also likely to fuel a fresh round of debate over what role, if any, the quarterback and top NFL star played in using underinflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game in January 2015. The Patriots won the contest over the Indianapolis Colts and then won the Super Bowl.

"Our role is not to determine for ourselves whether Brady participated in a scheme to deflate footballs or whether the suspension imposed by the Commissioner should have been for three games or five games or none at all. Nor is it our role to second-guess the arbitrator's procedural rulings," Judge Barrington D. Parker wrote in the majority opinion. "Our obligation is limited to determining whether the arbitration proceedings and award met the minimum legal standards established by the Labor Management Relations Act."

Eagles' Sam Bradford Wants To Be Traded

The Philadelphia Eagles have been informed that quarterback Sam Bradford wants to be traded and will not be showing up for their offseason program any longer, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Bradford is upset at the Eagles' trade last week for the No. 2 overall pick to draft a quarterback.

Bradford, who re-signed with the Eagles earlier this offseason, "is mad and wants to show everyone who's best," a source told Schefter last week.

Executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman told Comcast SportsNet on Monday that he wanted "to reiterate our support for Sam Bradford and go back to our statements last week -- that Sam is our starting quarterback.

"His agent and Sam know how we feel about him. These workouts are voluntary. We look forward to seeing Sam again in the near future."

The Eagles acquired the No. 2 overall pick from the Cleveland Browns last Thursday in a blockbuster trade, using draft picks acquired in two previous trades. Roseman said the Eagles had been trying to move up ever since January and acknowledged that the team intends to take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick.