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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Transient who shot girlfriend for nagging in Rogue River convicted of murder Rogue Disposal considers rate increase Man jailed for allegedly firing shots in trailer park Second man sentenced for robbing elderly couple outside Talent Hunter to earn Eagle Scout honor Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Transient who shot girlfriend for nagging in Rogue River convicted of murder Man jailed for allegedly firing shots in trailer park Second man sentenced for robbing elderly couple outside Talent Elk poacher ordered to pay $17,000 for Lake Creek Road area crimes Emergency Services, May 14 Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Education South Medford, Ashland high schools earn national honors Medford garage sale will put books in African kids' hands Medford schools restore parent-teacher conferences Latino parents: More bilingual staff needed in Medford schools Medford schools still filling admin roles Environment Jackson County declares drought disaster Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Crater Lake may soon have China connection State waives college placement tests for students who hit high marks Stopping fire in its tracks State News Panel sends Jackson, Josephine drought declarations to governor Court overturns $85 million award for Oregon soldiers Oregon families should get $284 in tax rebates next year Pot tourism, one way or another, expected in Oregon Roseburg City Council holsters decision on garage-based gun store Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Katie Beth (Lehnhardt) Marical Russell Dale Williams Keith D. 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Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability Our View: City should let SkyPark project move ahead George Will: In childhood, risk is inherent Editorials Our View: City should let SkyPark project move ahead Our View: E-cigarette bill is half right, half wrong Our View: Abundant water no excuse for waste Our View: Mental health funding should be a priority Other Views: Court ruling means PERS reform is dead Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 14 Letters to the Editor, May 13 Letters to the Editor, May 12 Letters to the Editor, May 11 Letters to the Editor, May 10 Columns Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability George Will: In childhood, risk is inherent Dana Milbank: Power to the populists Kathleen Parker: Defining deity down: Changing others' religion Guest Opinion: Ample water? Think again Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Ample water? Think again Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers Guest Opinion: Child poverty and the Schneider Children’s Center Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Lifestyle Latest stories Betty Montgomery: Longleaf pines making a comeback Season Stepp: Use pink lemonade in recipes William Keesler: Home alone with Arty Pergola, arbor, gazebo: Learn the differences Marketta Gregory: God doesn’t need our polished marketing Food Season Stepp: Use pink lemonade in recipes Quick, easy, versatile Page H. 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Rogue Disposal considers rate increase ... Man jailed for allegedly firing shots in trailer park ... Panel sends Jackson, Josephine drought declarations to governor ... Rogue Disposal considers rate increase ... Man jailed for allegedly firing shots in trailer park ... NFL suspends Brady 4 games for deflated footballs By BARRY WILNER AP Sports Writers MailTribune.com By BARRY WILNER AP Sports Writers Posted May. 11, 2015 @ 4:17 pm Updated May 11, 2015 at 4:19 PM By BARRY WILNER AP Sports Writers Posted May. 11, 2015 @ 4:17 pm Updated May 11, 2015 at 4:19 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL came down hard on its biggest star and its championship team, telling Tom Brady and the Patriots that no one is allowed to mess with the rules of the game. The league suspended the Super Bowl MVP Monday for the first four games of the season, fined the New England Patriots $1 million and took away two draft picks as punishment for deflating footballs used in the AFC title game. "Each player, no matter how accomplished and otherwise respected, has an obligation to comply with the rules and must be held accountable for his actions when those rules are violated and the public's confidence in the game is called into question," NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent wrote to Brady. The Patriots lose next year's first-round pick and a fourth-round choice in 2017. Brady would miss the season's showcase kickoff game on Sept. 10 against Pittsburgh, then Week 2 at Buffalo, a home game against Jacksonville and a game at Dallas. He will return the week of a Patriots-Colts AFC championship rematch in Indianapolis. He would be replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo, a 2014 second-round selection from Eastern Illinois who won the Walter Payton award as the best player in the FCS. He has thrown 27 NFL passes, including one touchdown. Brady has three days to appeal the suspension to Commissioner Roger Goodell or his designee. His agent, Don Yee, said "the discipline is ridiculous and has no legitimate basis" and that Brady 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 in a statement. The Patriots did not immediately comment on the punishments. The league also indefinitely suspended the two equipment staffers believed to have carried out the plan, including one who called himself "The Deflator." Vincent wrote letters to the team and Brady saying a league-sponsored investigative report established "substantial and credible evidence" that the quarterback knew the employees were deflating footballs and failed to cooperate with investigators. The investigation by attorney Ted Wells found that Brady "was at least generally aware" of plans by two Patriots employees to prepare the balls to his liking, below the league-mandated minimum of 12.5 pounds per square inch. The Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 and went on to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. The fine matches the largest the NFL has handed out, to Ed DeBartolo Jr., then the San Francisco 49ers' owner, who pleaded guilty to a felony in his role in a Louisiana gambling scandal in 1999. Vincent told the Patriots the punishment was handed out regardless of whether the flatter footballs — which can be easier to grip and catch — affected the outcome of the blowout win over the Colts. Vincent said the flattening of balls probably began much earlier. "While we cannot be certain when the activity began, the evidence suggests that January 18th was not the first and only occasion when this occurred, particularly in light of the evidence referring to deflation of footballs going back to before the beginning of the 2014 season," he wrote. "It is impossible to determine whether this activity had an effect on the outcome of games or what that effect was." In his 243-page report released by the league last week, Wells found that the team broke the rules again, this time by deflating the game footballs after they had been checked by officials. Although the report did not conclusively link the four-time Super Bowl champion to the illegal activity, text messages between the equipment staffers indicated that Brady knew it was going on. Investigators said Brady's explanation for the messages was implausible. "It is unlikely that an equipment assistant and a locker room attendant would deflate game balls without Brady's knowledge and approval," the report said. The NFL allows each team to provide the footballs used by its offense — a procedure Brady played a role in creating — but it requires them to be inflated in that range of 12.5-13.5 pounds per square inch. Footballs with less pressure can be easier to grip and catch, and Brady has expressed a preference for the lower end of the range. Brady said last week that the scandal hasn't taken away from the team's 28-24 Super Bowl win over Seattle — its fourth NFL title since the 2001 season. "Absolutely not," he said at a previously planned appearance in Salem, Massachusetts, last Thursday night. "We earned everything we got and achieved as a team, and I am proud of that and so are our fans." Fans chanted "Brady" and "MVP," then gave him a standing ovation as he entered the arena in the town made famous by the colonial witch trials. Since the airing of the scandal in the hours after the Colts game, New England fans have been unwavering in their support for the team, blaming the investigation on grudges by opponents jealous of the team's success. San Francisco defensive tackle Darnell Dockett's reaction in a tweet was: "You have to love the patriots. They do anything to win a Super Bowl." ___ By BARRY WILNER AP Sports Writers MailTribune.com By BARRY WILNER AP Sports Writers Posted May. 11, 2015 @ 4:17 pm Updated May 11, 2015 at 4:19 PM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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