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The NFL said that the Patriots quarterback destroyed his cellphone, even though Brady knew that investigators wanted to examine text messages and other information stored on the device, ESPN reported.

Wednesday morning, Brady posted his response to the suspension on his Facebook page.

In the statement, Brady said he is disappointed in the league's decision, but he stands by his assertion that he and no one on the Patriots did anything wrong.

Brady said he replaced his broken cellphone with a new one after his attorneys told the NFL that the device would not be examined.

ESPN reported that over the four months Brady used the now-destroyed cellphone, he sent and received nearly 10,000 text messages. None apparently can be retrieved.

Brady was suspended for using footballs that were under the air pressure allowed by NFL rules. Dubbed deflategate, Goodell said Brady knew the footballs were deflated, and supported team staff members who deflated the game balls used in the AFC title game against the Colts.

The Patriots were also fined $1 million and were stripped of a 2016 first-round draft choice and a 2017 fourth-round draft choice, ESPN reported.

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Cornerback Keith Taylor was signed to the practice squad by the Falcons on Tuesday. (Atlanta Falcons Twitter)

Credit: Atlanta Falcons Twitter

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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