The NFL Upholds Tom Brady's 4-Game 'Deflategate' Suspension

The NFL Players Association plans to file an appeal in federal court

Photo: Eric Canha/CSM/Landov

The National Football League has upheld a four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady, 37, was suspended without pay in May for his role in the football-tampering scandal known as “Deflategate.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Tuesday that new evidence about the destruction of Brady’s cell phone indicated that the four-time Super Bowl champion “sought to hide evidence of his own participation in the underlying scheme to alter the footballs.”

Brady was interviewed by investigators on March 6. According to the NFL, somewhere on or about that date, Brady allegedly told his assistant to destroy his cell phone.

Through his attorney, Brady maintains that he did nothing wrong.

“The appeal process was a sham, resulting in the commissioner rubber-stamping his own decision,” attorney Don Yee told CNN in a statement.

The NFL Players Association said it would file an appeal in federal court on Brady’s behalf.

“The fact that the NFL would resort to basing a suspension on a smoke screen of irrelevant text messages instead of admitting that they have all of the phone records they asked for is a new low, even for them, but it does nothing to correct their errors.” the NFLPA said in a statement on its website. “The NFLPA will appeal this outrageous decision on behalf of Tom Brady.”