Stop me if you've heard this one before: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season.
That is once again the case today, sort of: the United States court of appeals has reinstated the original four-game suspension that the NFL levied against its biggest star last year for what became known as the "Deflategate" scandal. That suspension was successfully lifted when Brady and his legal team took the issue to court, and now the NFL has won its subsequent appeal.
BREAKING: US Appeals court reinstates New England Patriots' Tom Brady's suspension over 'deflategate' - Reuters
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Brady will undoubtedly have opportunities to have the suspension lifted or reduced, just as he did last year. But, just as was the case last year, he's currently scheduled to miss a game against the Buffalo Bills, who will be playing the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in an October 2 (Week 4) affair this fall.
Last year, Brady was supposed to miss a Week 2 game against the Bills in Orchard Park. Instead, he found a legal loophole to have the suspension lifted while he took the case to court, and he threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-32 Patriots win.
This is the story that will not die, so buckle up. Right now, Brady won't be playing against the Bills, but there is plenty of time for the team's biggest nightmare to pull off a second legal win to change that.