Tom Brady has been suspended by the NFL
The New England Patriots won Superbowl XLIX in February, but their championship run didn’t come without controversy. After their blowout of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, reports began to surface that the Patriots purposely deflated footballs, presumably to aid their Hall of Fame quarterback, Tom Brady, with his grip of it. Brady ended the game with 226 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, and went on to win the Superbowl 2 weeks later.
Since then, investigations into whether or not the Patriots purposely deflated footballs have not gone in the Patriots’ favor. Surveillance video showed one of the Pats equipment managers disappearing for over 90 unaccounted for seconds, and a recently published report on the in-depth investigation, the Wells Report, stated that Brady was “generally aware” of what was going on, which didn’t sit well with the NFL.
Today, the league released a statement stating pretty clearly Brady’s newly announced fate.
Quarterback Tom Brady will be suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2015 regular season for conduct detrimental to the integrity of the NFL.
Brady will be able to take part in pre-season activities, including games. However, the AFC East has gotten much stronger this off-season, especially the New York Jets who–if Geno Smith turns into the game-manager new head coach Todd Bowles needs him to be–are very viable challengers for the division crown. The Patriots’ bye week comes in week 4, meaning Brady will also have to miss Week 5 to meet the suspension’s requirements, and he will return to action in Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Patriots’ first four games? Home against the Steelers, at Buffalo, home for the Jags, at Dallas. Strap up, Jimmy Garoppolo
