Tom Brady's Deflategate Suspension Upheld: Twitter Reacts to NFL's Decision

The Tom Brady Deflategate saga took another interesting turn Tuesday, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the quarterback's four-game suspension and didn't reach a settlement with the NFL Players Association in the wake of Brady's appeal, per NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal.

Rand Getlin of NFL.com passed along an important excerpt from Goodell's ruling:

Rachel Nichols of Turner Sports did as well:

The new piece of information, then, is that Brady destroyed his cellphone rather than either turn it over or have his lawyers vet the phone and pass over any relevant information about the Deflategate investigation to NFL investigators. Brady claimed he always destroyed old phones when he purchased a new one, though Peter Schrager of Fox Sports found that explanation a bit fishy:

Judy Battista of NFL.com noted one discrepancy in Brady's claim:

Don Banks of SI.com, meanwhile, thinks it would have been in Brady's best interest to have accepted the reduced suspension:

Now, the next logical step is a day in court and the possibility of an injunction. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com thinks that is one of two possible steps from Brady if he continues this fight:

It may be a fight he can't win, as legal expert Gabe Feldman noted, per NFL Network on Twitter:

On the other hand, playing the long game could benefit Brady in the end, per Trey Wingo of ESPN:

Brady's agent Don Yee released a statement on the news, via ESPN's Adam Schefter: 

Chris Long of the St. Louis Rams, Pete Blackburn of Uproxx.com and Mina Kimes of ESPN The Magazine poked fun at the news of Brady destroying his phone:

"

My assistant Jack Daniels and I actually destroy a cell phone every four months or so. Usually just the screen but I get it.

— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) July 28, 2015"

Bleacher Report envisioned Brady and Goodell after the ruling:

Multiple NFL players weighed-in on the news: 

"

Well you can't say cheaters never win

— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) July 28, 2015"

It will continue to be a fascinating situation to watch, both on and off the field. If Brady can't get an injunction or postpone his suspension, he'll miss the first five weeks of the season, which include contests against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys, along with a bye in Week 4.

That means the Patriots could be looking at a 1-3 start, and it also means Brady is going to be out a quarter of his salary. Not that the loss of money will hit the Brady household all that hard, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN, citing Forbes:

"

Tom Brady's suspension will cost him $1.88M, or what Gisele makes every two weeks, according to @forbes.

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 28, 2015"

More importantly, if Brady can't get this suspension tossed out in court, his reputation will forever be tarnished. While this punishment can't take away his Super Bowl rings and is unlikely to dissuade any voters from putting him into the Hall of Fame, the fact that he cheated will become a major part of his legacy, something Brady is fighting vehemently to prevent.