Agent: Tom Brady To Appeal 'Ridiculous' Four-Game DeflateGate Suspension

Perhaps Tom Brady won’t miss four games after all.

The New England Patriots quarterback will appeal his suspension, which stems from what the NFL deemed involvement in DeflateGate and lack of full cooperation in the Wells Report, his agent, Don Yee, announced Monday.

Here is Yee’s full statement:

“The discipline is ridiculous and has no legitimate basis. In my opinion, this outcome was pre-determined; there was no fairness in the Wells investigation whatsoever. There is no evidence that Tom directed footballs be set at pressures below the allowable limits. In fact, the evidence shows Tom clearly emphasized that footballs be set at pressures within the rules. Tom also cooperated with the investigation and answered every question presented to him.

“The Wells Report presents significant evidence, however, that the NFL lacks standards or protocols with respect to its handling of footballs prior to games; this is not the fault of Tom or the Patriots. The report also presents significant evidence the NFL participated with the Colts in some type of pre-AFC Championship Game planning regarding the footballs. This fact may raise serious questions about the integrity of the games we view on Sundays.

“We will appeal, and if the hearing officer is completely independent and neutral, I am very confident the Wells Report will be exposed as an incredibly frail exercise in fact-finding and logic. The NFL has a well-documented history of making poor disciplinary decisions that often are overturned when truly independent and neutral judges or arbitrators preside, and a former federal judge has found the commissioner has abused his discretion in the past, so this outcome does not surprise me.

“Sadly, today’s decision diminishes the NFL as it tells its fans, players and coaches that the games on the field don’t count as much as the games played on Park Avenue.”

The Patriots also were fined $1 million, and they lost a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and a fourth-rounder in the 2017 NFL Draft. Those punishments can’t be appealed.