The New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has had a four-game ban reinstated over allegations footballs were deliberately under-inflated before an NFL playoff game last year.
The 38-year-old and the Patriots were sanctioned after a 243-page report into what became known as 'deflate-gate'.
Brady's ban was overturned in September by a federal judge, who said the NFL's ruling had "legal deficiencies".
The Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady in action. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
But the NFL's subsequent appeal has been upheld and Brady will now miss the first four games of the 2016 season, which starts in September.
The four-time Super Bowl winner, considered one of the best ever quarterbacks, maintains neither neither he nor the club did anything wrong.
The Patriots won the match in question - against Indianapolis Colts in January 2015 - 45-7, and then won the Super Bowl.
-BBC
