NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has upheld Patriots quarterback Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on integrity of the game, the league announced Tuesday.
Brady was suspended four games in May after footballs used by the Patriots during the AFC Championship Game against the Colts were found to be inflated under the minimum level prescribed by the league. Along with the NFL Players Association, Brady challenged his penalty and testified before Goodell at an appeal hearing in May.
The four-time Super Bowl winner is eligible to play Week 6 in Indianapolis against the Colts. Jimmy Garoppolo, who played sparingly as Brady’s backup last year, is expected to start the team’s first four games of the season. Brady remains eligible for training camp and the preseason.
Brady was suspended on May 11 after a report by Ted Wells, an investigator contracted by the league, asserted Brady’s connection to the deflation of footballs used in the AFC Championship Game, which the Patriots won, 45-7. Wells did not allege that Brady himself improperly handled the footballs, but the investigator wrote that he believed Brady was “at least generally aware” of the alleged involvement ofPatriots staff in deflating the footballs. Wells also noted that Brady did not fully cooperate with his requests during the investigation.
The Patriots franchise was also handed down discipline stemming from the incident, but owner Robert Kraft ultimately chose not to fight those sanctions, which included a $1 million fine and the loss of a 2016 first-round pick and 2017 fourth-round selection.
Around The NFL will have more on this developing story. Check out our Tom Brady suspension timeline here.
SOURCE: NFL – Gregg Rosenthal
Comments