Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been at the center of the news cycle ever since he launched his campaign last summer, so it only makes sense that he now finds himself in the middle of the interminable DeflateGate saga.
Since Tom Brady’s latest appeal of his four-game suspension was rejected Wednesday, his last remaining legal option is to ask for a hearing in front of the Supreme Court. But before he does that, he must first ask the Court to grant him a stay of his suspension. That’s where Trump comes into play.
The justice in charge of handling stay requests from the 2nd Circuit –– the federal appeals court that reinstated Brady’s ban in April –– is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Over the last week, Trump and Justice Ginsburg have been engrossed in a war of words regarding his temperament to be president. In an uncharacteristically political move for a Supreme Court justice, Justice Ginsburg, 83, told the New York Times Sunday that she “couldn’t imagine” what the country would look like with Trump in the oval office. The liberal icon doubled down on her criticism a couple of days later, bemoaning Trump’s ego and lambasting him for not releasing his tax returns.
Trump responded Wednesday by calling for her resignation.
Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot – resign!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2016
This is relevant, because Brady and Trump are purportedly good friends. Brady was spotted with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hat in his locker last season and also said “it would be great” if the boisterous billionaire were elected president. Though Brady has declined to formally endorse Trump, he did reaffirm his relationship with the real estate mogul over the winter, calling Trump a “good friend.”
Trump, for his part, has played up his ties to Brady. He credited Brady for his win in the Massachusetts Republican primary and has repeatedly defended the star quarterback while on the campaign trail. Last month, Trump said he was thinking about inviting Brady to speak at the Republican Convention, but it was reported recently that Brady won’t be in attendance to support his pal.
It’s unfathomable that a decorated justice like Ginsburg would allow her apparent disdain for Trump to cloud her judgment when making a decision on Brady’s case. But if she wanted to send him a message, Brady would be an appetizing sacrificial lamb.
This article was written by Alex Reimer from SB Nation and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
