New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has officially appealed the four-game suspension that the league imposed for his involvement in the "Deflategate" incident, Los Angeles Times reported.

Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report tweeted that the commissioner will hear the appeal:

Basis of the Suspension

Brady was suspended after the league received Attorney Ted Wells' official report on the "Deflategate" investigation, CNN reported. The incident referred to the time when the Patriots' crew members have "more probably than not" tampered with the footballs to be used before the AFC championship against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Wells report indicated that two Patriots staffers -- Jim McNally and John Jastremski -- have allegedly prepared the footballs to Brady's liking in violation of NFL rules. It was noted that the star athlete was "at least generally aware" of what the two team crew members did.

NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent's letter to Brady about the findings, was published on ESPN.

"With respect to your particular involvement, the report established that there is substantial and credible evidence to conclude you were at least generally aware of the actions of the Patriots' employees involved in the deflation of the footballs and that it was unlikely that their actions were done without your knowledge," Vincent wrote.

Brady's Defense

The Patriots responded to the Wells report Thursday, through the team's attorney Daniel Goldberg. The full rebuttal of the report can be found on The Wells Report in Context.

Goldgerg said that "there is no evidence that Tom Brady preferred footballs that were lower than 12.5 psi and no evidence anyone even thought that he did." According to the league's rules, the balls must be inflated to between 12.5 and 15.5 pounds of air pressure per square inch.

Patriots' Penalty

The reigning Super Bowl LXIX champions was also penalized with a $1 million fine. Its rights for the first-round pick in the 2016 draft and a fourth-rounder in 2017 have also been relinquished by the league. Until this time, there is still no news whether or not the Patriots will lodge an appeal as well.

Patriots team owner Robert Kraft had already expressed in a statement quoted by The Boston Globe that the penalty imposed "far exceeded any reasonable expectation. "

New England's Chance for the Super Bowl 50 Title

If Tom Brady's appeal would not have a positive outcome, the Patriots' chance of getting the Super Bowl 50 title next season might be slim, Seattle PI reported, citing data from Bovada oddsmakers.

The Seattle Seahawks, the same team that the Patriots faced last season, are tipped to win the Super Bowl trophy next season. The Seahawks have 11-2 odds to win the title compared to the 7-2 odds of the Patriots and the Colts.

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