The NFL has revealed that the lack of cooperation from the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady on the deflategate scandal contributed to their imposition of severe sanctions against the club and the player.
A report into the incident by Ted Wells found that the 37-year-old was generally aware that members of the club's equipment staff had deflated the footballs in his side's AFC championship win over the Indianapolis Colts.
However, the report suggested that the Patriots were unwilling to have the members of the equipment staff - Jim McNally and John Jastremski - interviewed by investigators for a second time.
Meanwhile, Brady was indicted for not handing over his phone or his other electronic devices to the investigation team, despite having reassurances of their security.
As a result, the NFL handed Brady a four-game ban and docked the Patriots their first-round pick in the 2016 Draft and also their fourth-round selection in 2017, along with a $1m (£631,000) fine.
The league said in a statement in regards to their cooperation: "The Wells Report identifies two significant failures in this respect. The first involves the refusal by the club's attorneys to make Mr McNally available for an additional interview, despite numerous requests by Mr Wells and a cautionary note in writing of the club's obligation to cooperate in the investigation.
"The second was the failure of Tom Brady to produce any electronic evidence (emails, texts, etc.), despite being offered extraordinary safeguards by the investigators to protect unrelated personal information. Although we do not hold the club directly responsible for Mr Brady's refusal to cooperate, it remains significant that the quarterback of the team failed to cooperate fully with the investigation.
"Finally, it is significant that key witnesses – Mr Brady, Mr Jastremski, and Mr McNally - were not fully candid during the investigation."
Brady's agent has revealed that he will appeal the suspension, while Jastremski and McNally have been banned indefinitely by the club.
Simon Sinclair
