The Deflategate scandal led to Tom Brady's four-game suspension and raised questions about NFL integrity and rule enforcement.
Key Facts
- Brady suspension length
- 4 games (2016 regular season)
- Patriots fine
- 1,000,000 USD
- Draft picks forfeited
- 2 selections (2016)
- Game at center of controversy
- 2014 AFC Championship Game
- Brady reinstated
- October 9, 2016 vs. Cleveland Browns
- Season concluded with
- Patriots won Super Bowl LI; Brady named MVP
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the 2014 AFC Championship Game on January 18, 2015, allegations emerged that the New England Patriots, under the direction of quarterback Tom Brady, deliberately deflated game footballs below the NFL's required pressure threshold before the game against the Indianapolis Colts, providing a potential competitive advantage.
The NFL investigated the allegations, and Brady was originally suspended for four games of the 2015 season. He successfully challenged the suspension in federal district court, playing the entire 2015 season, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reinstated the suspension. Brady ultimately accepted the penalty and missed the first four games of the 2016 season.
The Patriots were fined $1 million and forfeited two 2016 draft picks. Brady served his suspension before returning October 9, 2016. The NFL altered its halftime football pressure monitoring procedures. In 2022, reports emerged that the NFL had deleted data from 2015 spot-checks showing similar ball deflation in comparable conditions, deepening questions about the league's handling of the affair.