FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Tom Brady has appealed his four-game suspension for his role in using deflated footballs during the AFC championship game.
The expected appeal was filed Thursday ahead of a 5 p.m. deadline.
The NFL announced the quarterback’s suspension on Monday, also fining the New England Patriots $1 million and taking away two draft picks.
Brady’s appeal only deals with the suspension and must be heard within 10 days. The team has not said if it will appeal its penalties before a Thursday deadline.
League-appointed investigator Ted Wells found that Brady was “at least generally aware” of plans by two team employees to prepare the balls to his liking, below the league-mandated minimum of 12.5 pounds per square inch.
Previously…
NEW YORK (AP) – The NFL suspended Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady for the first four games on Monday for his role in a scheme to deflate footballs used in the AFC title game. The league also fined the Patriots $1 million and took away two draft picks, including next years’ first-round choice.
The NFL also indefinitely suspended the two equipment staffers who carried out the plan, including one who called himself “The Deflator.”
The league cited the integrity of the game in handing down the punishment five days after a report said Brady “was at least generally aware” of plans by two Patriots employees to prepare the balls to his liking, below the league-mandated minimum of 12.5 pounds per square inch.
