BREAKING: Tom Brady’s Suspension Upheld by NFL

So, after all the talks of settlements, back-door deals, and God knows what other types of compromise were floating around for the past 5 weeks, it’s official – the NFL is upholding Tom Brady’s initial four-game suspension.

In their announcement today, the NFL gave some more detail about Brady’s “failure to cooperate fully” that certainly don’t seem to portray the Patriots QB in the most positive light. Actually, if you’re of the opinion that Brady’s been shady this whole time, this is where you get to say “I told you so.” Here’s the league’s statement, which you can read on www.nfl.com (and then register for fantasy football):

“In the opinion informing Brady that his appeal had been denied, Commissioner Goodell emphasized important new information disclosed by Brady and his representatives in connection with the hearing.

On or shortly before March 6, the day that Tom Brady met with independent investigator Ted Wells and his colleagues, Brady directed that the cell phone he had used for the prior four months be destroyed. 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.”

(Not to give myself too much credit, but this is literally the exact same thing I said would happen back in May on this very same blog. Hmmm.)

We’ll have more on the NFL’s ruling, and the legal Royal Rumble that will presumably follow, as we get more information.

UPDATE: Yahoo Sports columnist Frank Shwab had the sharp eyes to note that the NFL’s full report stated “Brady testified it’s his practice to destroy his cell phones and/or SIM cards, or give them to his assistant to destroy, at about the same time he began using his new cell phone. He did so on or about March 6, which is when he met with Wells.”