The ruling could be looked at as an indictment on the lack of uniform punishment across the league. The NFL's use of the steroid policy to provide a comparable notice of discipline or even length of suspension did not go over well. Also, Berman seemed to side with Brady's point when it comes to prior infractions for equipment tampering. A ball-warming issue by the Carolina Panthers was said not to be comparable by the NFL because there was no effort to conceal the act. However, Brady's team argued that the outcome in the Panthers case -- a warning sent to the club without any punishment or investigation -- was the precedent set under the Competitive Integrity Policy.