Some anguished Patriots fans sue Roger Goodell, Robert Kraft over Deflategate loss of first-round draft pick

UPDATE: Judge sacks Pats fans in Deflategate suit.

It's a good thing today isn't April 1, because otherwise you might not believe that, yes, a group of New England Patriots fans have sued NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for depriving the Patriots of a first-round draft pick this year over Deflategate

For good measure, their suit, filed this week in US District Court in Boston, names Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whom they charge failed to object strenuously enough to Goodell's action.

Defendant Robert Kraft had remedies to attempt to get Plaintiffs' draft pick back, but he chose his fellow billionaire owners above the Plaintiffs and fellow fans.

The suit asks a judge to order Goodell to give the Patriots back the first-round draft pick they lost, plus, of course, pay the plaintiffs damages and lawyers fees.

In their complaint, the plaintiffs describe a world of untold - at least until now - misery that Goodell has caused them and other Patriots fans in "intentional infliction of emotional distress" that violates not only the Massachusetts consumer protection law but the federal Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization act, normally reserved for suits involving organized crime.

Plaintiffs have dealt with embarrassment, ridicule and depression due to the rest of the country who is jealous of the Patriots "piling on" and criticizing the Patriots and their fans for being "cheaters."

Some of the fans describe their own individual levels of pain. Take, for example, Todd Orsatti, described as an adult who lives in Bristol, CT, and a Pats season-ticket holder:

Orsatti attends games with his 7 year old daughter. She will no longer go to games with him because she thinks the games are fixed by the NFL after her team was punished based merely on conjuecture. She is talking about finding another team which has left Orsatti "devastated."

Michael DiMauro, of Orlando, FL, meanwhile, reports he's suffered health problems, in particular, insomnia. He recalls the effects on him of the June meetings between "Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. and Roger Stokoe Goodell" last year, in particular on June 23:

I did not fall asleep until 7am! I was awake literally all night worrying about what was going to happen at the meeting.

He adds:

My hatred has grown so much that I cannot watch ESPN or NFL Network anymore because anytime that they talk about the draft and not seeing the New England Patriots listed makes me angry and upset.

He is so upset, that he demanded a meeting with Goodell to discuss "the pain he has caused upon me." Goodell has not written back.

The suit has echoes of a 2010 attempt by a Jets fan to make the Patriots and Bill Belichick pay $185 million over tapegate. He lost.

Complete complaint (4.1M PDF).
DiMauro affidavit (1.1M PDF).