NFL suspends Brady four games, hits Patriots hard for 'Deflategate'

A ball boy holds footballs as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) warms-up ahead of the start of the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Glendale, Arizona, February 1, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

(Reuters) - The National Football League came down hard on the New England Patriots on Monday for their role in Deflategate, suspending star quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of next season and fining the franchise $1 million (0.64 million pounds).

The NFL also said the Patriots will forfeit their first-round selection in the 2016 draft and a fourth-round pick in 2017 for using under-inflated footballs in last season's AFC Championship game.