A federal judge has overturned the four-game suspension the National Football League imposed on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (pictured on the left) over the ‘deflategate’ scandal.

On Thursday, US District Judge Richard Berman overturned the suspension because it had been “premised on several significant legal deficiencies.” Berman said the NFL had failed to (a) provide Brady with sufficient notice of his potential punishment, (b) make NFL investigators available for cross-examination, and (c) allow Brady’s legal team access to investigative files, including witness interview notes.

Brady stood accused of being involved in a conspiracy to deflate footballs below NFL minimum pressure standards in the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts this January. Brady allegedly preferred softer balls in wet conditions. (Insert your own puerile double-entendre here.)

The NFL’s original investigation of the brouhaha turned up no concrete evidence of Brady’s involvement in the deflation, which was ultimately pinned on two Patriots’ equipment managers. But the report concluded that Brady was “generally aware” of the ball boys’ activities and Brady’s protestations to the contrary were deemed “implausible.”