New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is not going to go down without a fight. Brady’s agent said that they will appeal the NFL’s four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate. Brady has reportedly hired attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who has worked on several other high-profile NFL cases in the past.

Ted Wells’ investigation into the allegations that the Patriots used underinflated balls during the first half of the AFC Championship game in January found that Brady “was at least generally aware” of wrongdoing. On Monday, the NFL finally decided to suspend Brady for the first four games of the 2015 season, citing “conduct detrimental to the integrity of the NFL.”

In addition to Brady’s punishment, the Patriots organization was fined $1 million and lost a 2016 first round draft pick and a 2017 fourth round draft pick.

Shortly after the punishment was announced, Brady’s agent, Don Yee, vowed to appeal.

“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,” Yee said. “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.”

ESPN is now reporting that Brady has hired Kessler, who has worked with the NFL Players Association in the past as outside counsel. Kessler served as outside counsel during the appeal of Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension last year. In 1995, he also helped establish free agency in the NFL by reaching a settlement with the NFL in the Reggie White case on player movement.

Patriots owner Bob Kraft also voiced support for Brady, writing, “Tom Brady has our unconditional support. Our belief in him has not wavered."

Brady is a four-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Super Bowl MVP.
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