View image | gettyimages.com

Well, well. The NFL finally got around to handing out the Deflategate punishments and I think the punishments are pretty decent for the “crimes” committed. As we discussed last week, the NFL’s independent investigation found that Tom Brady likely had knowledge of the deflated footballs, and there were certain equipment people at the Patriots organization with knowledge as well. Here’s how the punishments were allocated:

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2015 NFL season for conduct detrimental to the integrity of the NFL, the league announced Monday. The team will also lose its first-round draft pick in 2016 and its fourth-round draft pick in 2017.

Team employees James McNally and John Jastremski, at the suggestion of Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, were both suspended indefinitely without pay effective May 6. If either McNally or Jastremski are reinstated by the team, which would require the approval of NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, Jastremski will be prohibited from “having any role in the preparation, supervision, or handling of footballs to be used in NFL games during the 2015 season,” the announcement said.

Brady has three days to file his appeal.

The suspension means Brady will miss games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys. The first game on the Patriots’ 2015 schedule that Brady will be eligible to play in will be on Oct. 18 against the Colts.

[From Sports Illustrated]

The Patriots also have to pay a $1 million fine, which is just pocket money for the Pats, but it’s still one of the largest fines in NFL history. Many are saying stuff like “if only the hammer would come down this hard on football players committing violence against women.” Yeah but… apples and oranges. I wish the NFL – and every sports organization – would take violence against women more seriously, and I wish they would all have zero tolerance policies in place for violent offenders. But that has nothing to do with Tom Brady lying his ass off and the Patriots cheating their way through games.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.