July 28, 2015 - Aaron Wilson
NFL upholds Tom Brady's suspension, says he destroyed his cell phone
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has upheld a four-game suspension of New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady, denying his appeal.
Brady and the NFL Players Association are expected to file a lawsuit challenging the punishment.
The discipline stems from Deflategate.
Brady allegedly destroyed his cell phone on or shortly before March 6 prior to meeting with investigator Ted Wells.
"Brady directed that the cell phone he had used for the prior four months be destroyed," the NFL said in a statement. "He did so even though he was aware that the investigators had requested access to text messages and other electronic information that had been stored on that phone. ‎During the four months that the cell phone was in use, Brady had exchanged nearly 10,000 text messages, none of which can now be retrieved from that device. The destruction of the cell phone was not disclosed until June 18, almost four months after the investigators had first sought electronic information from Brady.
"Based on the Wells Report and the evidence presented at the hearing, Commissioner Goodell concluded in his decision that Brady was aware of, and took steps to support‎, the actions of other team employees to deflate game footballs below the levels called for by the NFL's Official Playing Rules. The commissioner found that Brady’s deliberate destruction of potentially relevant evidence went beyond a mere failure to cooperate in the investigation and supported a finding that he had sought to hide evidence of his own participation in the underlying scheme to alter the footballs. "
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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun