Super Bowl winning New England Patriots are to begin the 2015 season without the services of Tom Brady.
Brady, who has won the Super Bowl on four separate occasions is widely seen as one of the greatest quarter backs to play the game.
He has been suspended without pay for the first four games of next season for his involvement in the "Deflategate" scandal.
It was revealed that footballs belonging to the Patriots were deflated before the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots won that game 45-7 and advanced to the Super Bowl where they defeated the Seattle Seahawks.
Last week, an investigation into the affair deemed that Brady was "at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities" regarding the deflation of the balls.
Executive Vice President of the NFL, Troy Vincent imposed the ban on the future Hall of Famer stating that Brady's unwillingness to help with the investigations played a factor in the length of the ban.
The Patriots have also lost two future NFL Draft picks, losing their first round pick next year and a fourth round pick in 2017. The franchise have also been fined $1,000,000.
Brady, his head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots plan to appeal the decision but he is currently due to miss home matches against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars and away games in Buffalo and Dallas.
He is due to return against the Indianapolis Colts, the side he played against in the AFC Championship game.
Second year quarter back Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to deputise for Brady during the suspension.
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