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Tom Brady’s four-match ban over the “Deflate-gate” scandal was upheld as it emerged the New England Patriots star had ordered the destruction of a cellphone containing potentially crucial evidence.
In a bombshell ruling which followed speculation that Brady’s ban would be slashed or even cancelled, National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell said the original punishment would stand.
Brady, one of the most high-profile athletes in American sport, had been suspended in May after an inquiry found he was at least “generally aware” of a plot by Patriots staff to tamper with the air pressure of balls used during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts earlier this year.

The four-time Super Bowl champion quarterback had angrily rejected wrongdoing and appealed against the suspension.
However Goodell dismissed the 37-year-old icon’s appeal in a 20-page ruling.
“I find that, with respect to the game balls used in the AFC Championship Game and the subsequent investigation, Mr. Brady engaged in conduct detrimental to the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football,” Goodell said. “The four-game suspension is confirmed.”

Goodell said during the course of the appeal it had emerged that Brady had destroyed a cellphone which contained messages and records of his communications with Patriots staff implicated in the scandal.
Brady ordered the destruction of the phone on the day he was interviewed by Ted Wells, the lawyer appointed by the NFL to carry out an investigation into the scandal.
“The most significant new information that emerged in connection with the appeal was evidence that on or about March 6, 2015 – the very day that he was interviewed by Mr Wells and his investigative team – Mr. Brady instructed his assistant to destroy the cellphone that he had been using since early November 2014,” Goodell wrote.

“At the time that he arranged for its destruction, Mr. Brady knew that Mr Wells and his team had requested information from that cellphone in connection with their investigation.”
Goodell wrote that the destruction of the phone, which had been used to send some 10,000 messages between November 2014 and early March, was only revealed on the day of Brady’s appeal hearing on June 18.
The National Football League Players Association (NFPLA), the players union, said it would appeal Tuesday’s decision on Brady’s behalf, decrying the disclosure about the destroyed cellphone as a “smoke screen.”

“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,” an NFLPA statement said.
“The NFLPA will appeal this outrageous decision on behalf of Tom Brady.”
Brady’s agent Don Yee described the appeal hearing as a “sham”, insisting the star was innocent of wrongdoing.
“The Commissioner’s decision is deeply disappointing, but not surprising because the appeal process was thoroughly lacking in procedural fairness,” Yee said.
“Most importantly, neither Tom nor the Patriots did anything wrong. And the NFL has no evidence that anything inappropriate occurred.”
Tuesday’s decision means Brady will miss the first four games of the 2015 regular season.


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Tom Brady

Tom Brady’s ‘Deflate-gate’ ban upheld as NFL reveals he destroyed phone to get rid of evidence

Tom Brady with the Super Bowl trophy. Photo: EPA

Media camp outside Tom Brady's house. Photo: AP

Tom Brady receives the Super Bowl MVP award from commissioner Roger Goodell in February. Photo: EPA

The players' union says it will back Tom Brady. Photo: AFP

Roger Goodell says Tom Brady damaged the integrity of the league. Photo: Reuters

NFL ‘attempting to destroy’ Tom Brady, blast New England Patriots

Tom Brady was accused of deflating footballs to make them easier to catch. Photo: Reuters

Tom Brady will miss the first four games of the season. Photo: Reuters

Tom Brady is one of US sport's biggest names. Photo: Reuters

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Decision shocks American football after four-game suspension for deflating footballs was expected to be reduced


Tom Brady’s four-match ban over the “Deflate-gate” scandal was upheld as it emerged the New England Patriots star had ordered the destruction of a cellphone containing potentially crucial evidence


Tom Brady’s ‘Deflate-gate’ ban upheld as NFL reveals he destroyed phone to get rid of evidence

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Decision shocks American football after four-game suspension for deflating footballs was expected to be reduced

Decision shocks American football after four-game suspension for deflating footballs was expected to be reduced