DEFLATEGATE Punishment for Tom Brady

Tom Brady, the Super Bowl MVP and star quarterback of the New England Patriots, “will be suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2015 regular season for conduct detrimental to the integrity of the NFL,” according to a statement issued by the league.  In addition to being “Brady-less” those four games, the New England Patriots have also been hit with a $1 million fine and will lose two future draft picks.

The punishment comes just five days after the release of the 243-page, league-authorized, investigation report conducted by attorney Ted Wells on the “Deflate-Gate,” scandal.  Wells’ report stated that it was “more probable than not,” that Brady was aware of the plans by two Patriot employees to deflate the balls  below the NFL-mandated minimum, making them easier to grip for the AFC championship game.  The report also noted that “it is unlikely that an equipment assistant and a locker room attendant would deflate game balls without Brady’s knowledge and approval.”

Of course Brady, who now has three days to appeal his suspension, has denied any involvement in the Deflategate scandal, stating publicly at a news conference back in January, “I would never do anything to break the rules.”  Brady continuously stated that he was unaware of any efforts to deflate the game balls, but according to Wells’ report, Brady’s claims were “not plausible and contradicted by other evidence.”

So far, Brady hasn’t commented since news of the punishment came out.