New England Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich has defended quarterback Tom Brady amid criticism of his teammate following the release of the Wells Report.
The 37-year-old was suspended by the NFL for four games for being generally aware that members of the Patriots' equipment staff had deflated footballs in their AFC championship win over the Indianapolis Colts and refusing to hand over his texts during the investigation into the incident.
However, Ninkovich has insisted that the quarterback has his and the team's full backing in light of the allegations made against him.
"I don't question it. Tom is a tremendous person and there is nothing more important to him than the game itself," Ninkovich told 98.5 The Sports Hub.
"I don't think Tom would ever do anything to jeopardise the integrity of the game. I stand by my quarterback and everyone else should, too. When you're really good for a really long time, people want to come after you.
"We all support Tom, the whole Patriots organisation supports Tom, and the Patriots fan base supports Tom. You can't control what everybody else says or does, you can kind of just control what you can do. For me, everybody else is focused on this season and do the best you can."
Brady has appealed his ban, which will be heard by commissioner Roger Goodell in the near future.
Simon Sinclair
