It was all smiles as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell presented Super Bowl winning quarter-back Tom Brady with his Most Valuable Player trophy this morning.
Brady was forced to sit out the first four games of the season after serving a suspension for his alleged involvement in the "deflate-gate" scandal after the New England Patriot's 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts in January 2015.
The Patriot's were accused of intentionally deflating 11 of the 12 balls they used in the first half of the game.
The subsequent investigation by the NFL concluded that is was "more probable than not" that Patriot's staff deliberately deflated the balls and that Brady was "at least generally aware" that they had been tampered with.
The franchise were handed a €1 million fine and were stripped of two early draft picks in 2016 and 2017. Brady was suspended for four games.
The star quarter-back appealed his ban but it was upheld by commissioner Goodell. The matter then found its way into the American court system and ended with the 2nd US Circuit Court upholding the NFL's decision.
It’s all smiles as Roger Goodell and Tom Brady meet at presentation of MVP trophyhttps://t.co/SqVl6O8LNp pic.twitter.com/sSe6QpZrx2
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 6, 2017
It looked like Goodell would be saved from the awkward moment of presenting the Patriots with any type of silverware after the Atlanta Falcons stormed into what appeared an insurmountable 25 point lead in this year's Super Bowl - only for the Patriots to rally and win in overtime.
Speaking at the handover, Goodell said: And it’s a great honour for us and for me personally to have both of these guys (Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick) here this morning. Tom, come on up. Get your trophy.”
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