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NEW YORK, May 11 (UPI) -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for four games and the team faces a fine and other penalties for intentionally deflating footballs during this year's Super Bowl. Brady, who an NFL investigation found was likely aware the footballs were deflated, will sit out the first four games of the 2015-16 season.
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The Patriots must pay a $1 million fine and give up its 2016 first-found pick and 2017 fourth-round pick in the NFL draft.
NFL Executive President Troy Vincent said Brady's lack of cooperation with the probe by independent investigator Ted Wells was a factor in his punishment.
"With respect to your particular involvement, the report established that there is substantial and credible evidence to conclude you were at least generally aware of the actions of the Patriots' employees involved in the deflation of the footballs and that it was unlikely that their actions were done without your knowledge," Vincent said in a letter to Brady. "Moreover, the report documents your failure to cooperate fully and candidly with the investigation, including by refusing to produce any relevant electronic evidence (emails, texts, etc.), despite being offered extraordinary safeguards by the investigators to protect unrelated personal information, and by providing testimony that the report concludes was not plausible and contradicted by other evidence."
