Tom Brady's Decision to Destroy Phone Hurts Him

World, prepare to meet Jimmy Garoppolo. The NFL has upheld its decision to bench Tom Brady for four games over underinflated footballs, meaning backup Garoppolo will be in the spotlight. Brady had appealed, but NFL chief Roger Goodell said he's more convinced than ever that the QB not only ordered staffers to deflate the balls before a playoff game to make them easier to handle, he tried to cover up his actions, reports ESPN. A key factor in the decision was that Brady had his phone destroyed, reports the Boston Globe.

"On or shortly before March 6, the day that Tom Brady met with independent investigator Ted Wells and his colleagues, Brady directed that the cell phone he had used for the prior four months be destroyed," says a league statement. "He did so even though he was aware that the investigators had requested access to text messages and other electronic information that had been stored on that phone." As a result, 10,000 Brady texts were gone for good. (One of the underinflated balls just sold for $44,000.)