NFL Suspends Tom Brady For 4 Games Over 'Deflategate' Scandal

NFL Suspends Tom Brady For 4 Games Over 'Deflategate' Scandal Enlarge this image toggle caption Larry W. Smith/EPA/Landov Larry W. Smith/EPA/Landov Days after a lengthy report found it was "more probable than not" that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady knew of rule-breaking, the NFL has issued its punishment: a four-game suspension for Brady and a $1 million fine for the Patriots. Brady will sit out the first four games of the 2015 regular season without pay, the NFL says, citing "conduct detrimental to the integrity of the NFL." The Patriots will also lose their first-round pick in next year's draft, along with a fourth-round pick in 2017, over the incident known as "Deflategate," in which Brady was accused of using underinflated footballs during last season's AFC Championship Game. But critics also note that the Patriots had beaten the Baltimore Ravens by only 4 points in the previous week — and today, Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president for football operations, said the margin of victory isn't the issue: "It is impossible to determine whether this activity had an effect on the outcome of games or what that effect was.