NFL commissioner Roger Goodell upheld Tom Brady's four-game suspension, the league announced on Tuesday.
It appears as though Brady choosing to destroy his cell phone was a critical factor in his appeal being denied, but our entire lives are in our phones these days, and it's hard to blame Brady for not wanting to give the league a look at all of that intimate information.
Brady was suspended for what became known as Deflategate, after he and the Patriots were accused of tampering with footballs during the 2015 AFC Championship game against the Colts—a contest which New England won by a final score of 45-7.
UPDATE:
Brady's explanation for destroying his cell phone is that he routinely destroys his old phones and SIM cards every time he gets a new one. He just so happened to destroy the phone he was using during the Deflategate scandal on the day he met with attorney Ted Wells.
UPDATE 2:
Brady's agent Don Yee released a lengthy statement on behalf of the Patriots quarterback a short time ago. Here it is:
UPDATE 3:
The Patriots are NOT happy with Roger Goodell's decision to uphold Brady's suspension:
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
