During Wednesday's Deflategate hearing, Judge Richard Berman thrashed NFL Management Council attorney Daniel Nash in regards to the league's decision to give Tom Brady a four-game suspension.
Berman focused in on Roger Goodell's decision to compare the ball deflation and failure to cooperate to PED use and the use of a masking agent.
Legal analyst Michael McCann joined SportsNet Central to explain why the judge has come down so hard on the NFL for the past two weeks.
"The key reason is the NFL's process for disciplining Tom Brady, and punishing and reviewing the punishment had a number of problems," said McCann. "This was good news for Tom Brady because yesterday was talking about process… Why wasn't Jeffrey Pash able to testify? Why are there questions about what rationales were used to punish him? All good news for Tom Brady, because at the end of the day the judge's decision is not about whether Brady did it, it's about process.
"It's a little bit premature to read the judge's reactions today. Certainly a good sign for Brady when the judge goes after the other side. But it's preliminary and that doesn't mean the NFL is going to cut a better deal."