U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman declared on Thursday that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady would have his four-game suspension nullified. 

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By all intents and purposes, the face of the NFL has won the federal hearing as Judge Berman had previously tried to get the two sides to settle and could not come to an agreement.

This ruling goes beyond the importance of the NFL. As the most powerful professional sports entity in the United States, other leagues, like the NBA and MLB, were watching this closely.

"This a landmark day for [the Patriots], with the way this has gone down," said ESPN's Mike Reiss. "The feeling inside that building is a lot of vindication inside of Gillette Stadium."

A player just beat the league in a case that directly challenged the commissioner and the collective bargaining agreement. This will allow professional players in all sports now to re-think their situation when they feel like their league has ruled unfairly.

The belief by most was that the NFL was going to win this case based upon the language in the CBA. While this most likely is not over from the NFL's perspective, Tom Brady will be available week one and beyond, as of now.

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