Patriots fans file lawsuit against NFL, hope to regain team's draft picks
By John Breech | CBSSports.com
April 5, 2016 5:00 pm ET
In a last ditch effort to get New England's 2016 first-round draft pick returned to the team, several Patriots fans have come up with a drastic plan: suing the NFL.
You know what they say: If you can't beat them, sue them.
OK, so no one says that, but this lawsuit is actually happening.
The suit was filed in Boston federal court on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Patriots fans allege that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell "acted unlawfully" when he handed down New England's punishment for Deflategate.
That punishment included two lost draft picks, a Tom Brady suspension and a $1 million fine. This group of fans is hoping to see both picks -- a first-rounder in 2016 and a fourth-rounder in 2017 -- returned to the Patriots.
Seth Carey, an attorney in Maine who's one of seven people involved in the lawsuit, explained why he felt it was necessary to file it.
"This case is brought by New England Patriots fans on behalf of all Patriots fans who believe the New England Patriots professional football team were harmed by the defendants' arbitrary and capricious decision to revoke the Patriots' first-round draft choice in the April 28, 2016 NFL Draft," the suit states, via the Boston Herald.
Goodell and the NFL are both named as defendants.
Carey might've been watching The Dark Knight before filing the lawsuit, because the suit alleges that Goodell and the league both violated the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. That's straight out of Harvey Dent's playbook.
The lawsuit also accuses Goodell and the NFL of "fraud, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and racketeering."
Goodell wasn't the only NFL-related person named in the lawsuit, either.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is also named in the suit, which is somewhat surprising since this thing was filed by Patriots fans. The suit alleges that Kraft sided with fellow owners over Patriots fans when he accepted the Patriots' punishment.
"Defendant Robert Kraft had remedies to attempt to get plaintiffs' draft pick back, but he chose his fellow billionaire owners above the plaintiffs and fellow fans," Carey wrote.
According to Carey, another fan involved in the lawsuit, Todd Orsatti, believes the NFL's Deflategate punishment has caused emotional distress for his family.
"Orsatti attends games with his 7-year-old daughter. She will no longer go to games with him because she thinks the games are fixed by the NFL after her team was punished based merely on conjecture," Carey wrote in the suit, via the Herald. "She is talking about finding another team, which has left Orsatti 'devastated.'"
If she's smart, she'll jump ship and go with the Broncos. Just kidding -- they don't have a quarterback, so that'd be a horrible team to start cheering for in 2016.
Anyway, if this lawsuit ends up failing -- and it likely will -- at least Patriots fans will have a boycott to fall back on, because yes, Patriots fans have also planned a boycott for the first round of the draft on April 28.
By John Breech | CBSSports.com
April 5, 2016 5:00 pm ET
In a last ditch effort to get New England's 2016 first-round draft pick returned to the team, several Patriots fans have come up with a drastic plan: suing the NFL.
You know what they say: If you can't beat them, sue them.
OK, so no one says that, but this lawsuit is actually happening.
The suit was filed in Boston federal court on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Patriots fans allege that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell "acted unlawfully" when he handed down New England's punishment for Deflategate.
That punishment included two lost draft picks, a Tom Brady suspension and a $1 million fine. This group of fans is hoping to see both picks -- a first-rounder in 2016 and a fourth-rounder in 2017 -- returned to the Patriots.
Seth Carey, an attorney in Maine who's one of seven people involved in the lawsuit, explained why he felt it was necessary to file it.
"This case is brought by New England Patriots fans on behalf of all Patriots fans who believe the New England Patriots professional football team were harmed by the defendants' arbitrary and capricious decision to revoke the Patriots' first-round draft choice in the April 28, 2016 NFL Draft," the suit states, via the Boston Herald.
Goodell and the NFL are both named as defendants.
Carey might've been watching The Dark Knight before filing the lawsuit, because the suit alleges that Goodell and the league both violated the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. That's straight out of Harvey Dent's playbook.
The lawsuit also accuses Goodell and the NFL of "fraud, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and racketeering."
Goodell wasn't the only NFL-related person named in the lawsuit, either.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is also named in the suit, which is somewhat surprising since this thing was filed by Patriots fans. The suit alleges that Kraft sided with fellow owners over Patriots fans when he accepted the Patriots' punishment.
"Defendant Robert Kraft had remedies to attempt to get plaintiffs' draft pick back, but he chose his fellow billionaire owners above the plaintiffs and fellow fans," Carey wrote.
According to Carey, another fan involved in the lawsuit, Todd Orsatti, believes the NFL's Deflategate punishment has caused emotional distress for his family.
"Orsatti attends games with his 7-year-old daughter. She will no longer go to games with him because she thinks the games are fixed by the NFL after her team was punished based merely on conjecture," Carey wrote in the suit, via the Herald. "She is talking about finding another team, which has left Orsatti 'devastated.'"
If she's smart, she'll jump ship and go with the Broncos. Just kidding -- they don't have a quarterback, so that'd be a horrible team to start cheering for in 2016.
Anyway, if this lawsuit ends up failing -- and it likely will -- at least Patriots fans will have a boycott to fall back on, because yes, Patriots fans have also planned a boycott for the first round of the draft on April 28.
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