NFL Files Appeal Against Judge's Deflategate Decision

And the Deflategate saga continues.

The NFL filed an appeal  Monday against a federal judge's decision  in September to nullify New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension for his alleged role in the scandal .

The league initially decided to suspend Brady back in May for his participation in the plot to gain an advantage in the 2015 AFC Championship game by using deliberately deflated footballs. (An investigation conducted on behalf of the NFL determined that Brady was "at least generally aware " of the scheme.)

That decision was appealed by the NFL Players' Association in June, upheld by commissioner Roger Goodell in July, and vacated by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman  months later. 

The league argues in its appeal  that its collective bargaining agreement with players clearly gives Goodell the right to discipline Brady, and that Berman overstepped his authority in lifting the quarterback's punishment. "In short, the Commissioner acted well within the bounds of discretion expressly granted by the CBA," the appeal reads, "while the district court vastly exceeded the narrow bounds of judicial review allowed under the Labor Management Relations Act and decades of precedent."

The case will go before the appeals court in February at the earliest .