The National Football League handed out its harshest punishment since the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal in 2011. The league fined the New England Patriots one million dollars, suspended superstar quarterback Tom Brady for four games, and took away two draft picks in the next years, for illegally deflating footballs used in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, in which the Patriots won 45-7 en route to their Super Bowl run.

Deflategate, as it has come to be called, began when Brady threw an interception to Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, and the Colts equipment manager felt something was off. The news surfaced of this scandal in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl; New England coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, along with other teammates refuted the allegations.

An investigation was launched following the Patriots Super Bowl win, that went in depth on any wrong doing by personal, players, and coaches. The findings of this investigation were published in the Wells Report, released on May 6th 2015. The report found that it was  “more probable than not” that the equipment staff  and Tom Brady deliberately broke the rules. It also claimed that head coach Bill Belichick and his coaching staff were unaware of the infractions being committed.

Patriots CEO and Chairman Robert Kraft said the punishment “far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence,” according to ESPN. Brady’s agent, Don Yee, had similar thoughts on the punishments handed down and announced Brady would appeal his suspension in the next few days.