Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension for his role in using underinflated footballs during the AFC Championship Game was upheld by commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday.
<aside class="inline inline-photo full"><figure><source data-srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0728%2Fnfl_a_brady11_1296x729.jpg&w=570, <a href=" http:="" a.espncdn.com="" combiner="" i?img="%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0728%2Fnfl_a_brady11_1296x729.jpg&w=1140"" target="_blank"><figcaption class="photoCaption"><cite></cite></figcaption></figure></aside>In announcing the decision, Goodell cited new information that on or shortly before March 6, Brady had directed that the cell phone he had used for the prior four months be destroyed. The NFL said in the statement that Brady destroyed the phone even though he was aware that investigators had requested access to text messages and other electronic information that had been stored on the phone.
According to the NFL, Brady had exchanged nearly 10,000 text messages, none of which can now be retrieved. The NFL also said in its statement that the destruction of the cell phone was not disclosed until June 18, almost four months after investigators had first sought information from him.
Goodell said in the statement he found that Brady "went beyond a mere failure to cooperate in the investigation and supported a finding that he had sought to hide evidence of his own participation in the scheme." Based on Ted Wells' report and the evidence presented at that hearing, Goodell also said that Brady was aware of, and took steps to support, the actions of other team employees to deflate game footballs below the levels allowed under NFL rules.
Brady is expected to challenge the decision in federal court and seek an injunction that will allow him to play while his case works its way through the courts. The sides had engaged in settlement talks but couldn't find common ground, which wasn't a surprise.
Brady, according to sources, remains adamant that he will not accept a suspension and that any punishment must specify that it's for failing to cooperate with an NFL investigation and not for breaking rules with footballs.
The Patriots report to training camp on Thursday. Coach Bill Belichick is expected to talk to the media on Wednesday.
Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season on May 11 after Wells' investigation found that it was "more probable than not" that Patriots personnel deliberately deflated footballs during the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts and that Brady was "at least generally aware" of the rules violations. The Patriots were fined $1 million and stripped of a 2016 first-round draft choice and a 2017 fourth-round draft choice.
Brady appealed his suspension on June 23 to Goodell, who served as arbitrator despite the objections of the NFL Players Association. Attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who has had success taking on the NFL in other high-profile cases, led Brady's defense and said, "I think we put in a very compelling case."
That case now heads to federal court, where Brady will argue:
• The ball-deflation policy was incorrectly applied to him, as the rules were meant for club personnel and not players.
• The Wells report doesn't prove he did anything illegal.
• If it is determined that the ball-deflation policy applied to Brady, the league failed to give him notice of the penalty, in essence making up the punishment with precedent.
• The NFL doesn't have the proper techniques and standards for measuring deflation of footballs.
• Goodell was not a neutral arbitrator.
As for Goodell taking 35 days to determine Brady's appeal, sources told ESPN's Dan Graziano that it was rooted in the NFL's viewpoint that its decision had to be designed, vetted and written to withstand a court challenge. Thus, the delay was mostly about whether the league is comfortable in the legal presentation of the decision.
<a href="http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/13331590/tom-brady-4-game-suspension-upheld-roger-goodell" target="_blank">http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/13331590/tom-brady-4-game-suspension-upheld-roger-goodell
<aside class="inline inline-photo full"><figure><source data-srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0728%2Fnfl_a_brady11_1296x729.jpg&w=570, <a href=" http:="" a.espncdn.com="" combiner="" i?img="%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0728%2Fnfl_a_brady11_1296x729.jpg&w=1140"" target="_blank"><figcaption class="photoCaption"><cite></cite></figcaption></figure></aside>In announcing the decision, Goodell cited new information that on or shortly before March 6, Brady had directed that the cell phone he had used for the prior four months be destroyed. The NFL said in the statement that Brady destroyed the phone even though he was aware that investigators had requested access to text messages and other electronic information that had been stored on the phone.
According to the NFL, Brady had exchanged nearly 10,000 text messages, none of which can now be retrieved. The NFL also said in its statement that the destruction of the cell phone was not disclosed until June 18, almost four months after investigators had first sought information from him.
Goodell said in the statement he found that Brady "went beyond a mere failure to cooperate in the investigation and supported a finding that he had sought to hide evidence of his own participation in the scheme." Based on Ted Wells' report and the evidence presented at that hearing, Goodell also said that Brady was aware of, and took steps to support, the actions of other team employees to deflate game footballs below the levels allowed under NFL rules.
Brady is expected to challenge the decision in federal court and seek an injunction that will allow him to play while his case works its way through the courts. The sides had engaged in settlement talks but couldn't find common ground, which wasn't a surprise.
Brady, according to sources, remains adamant that he will not accept a suspension and that any punishment must specify that it's for failing to cooperate with an NFL investigation and not for breaking rules with footballs.
The Patriots report to training camp on Thursday. Coach Bill Belichick is expected to talk to the media on Wednesday.
Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season on May 11 after Wells' investigation found that it was "more probable than not" that Patriots personnel deliberately deflated footballs during the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts and that Brady was "at least generally aware" of the rules violations. The Patriots were fined $1 million and stripped of a 2016 first-round draft choice and a 2017 fourth-round draft choice.
Brady appealed his suspension on June 23 to Goodell, who served as arbitrator despite the objections of the NFL Players Association. Attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who has had success taking on the NFL in other high-profile cases, led Brady's defense and said, "I think we put in a very compelling case."
That case now heads to federal court, where Brady will argue:
• The ball-deflation policy was incorrectly applied to him, as the rules were meant for club personnel and not players.
• The Wells report doesn't prove he did anything illegal.
• If it is determined that the ball-deflation policy applied to Brady, the league failed to give him notice of the penalty, in essence making up the punishment with precedent.
• The NFL doesn't have the proper techniques and standards for measuring deflation of footballs.
• Goodell was not a neutral arbitrator.
As for Goodell taking 35 days to determine Brady's appeal, sources told ESPN's Dan Graziano that it was rooted in the NFL's viewpoint that its decision had to be designed, vetted and written to withstand a court challenge. Thus, the delay was mostly about whether the league is comfortable in the legal presentation of the decision.
<a href="http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/13331590/tom-brady-4-game-suspension-upheld-roger-goodell" target="_blank">http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/13331590/tom-brady-4-game-suspension-upheld-roger-goodell
. It appears his defense was rubbish 
