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The ongoing saga surrounding the deflated footballs from the AFC title game came to an end Tuesday when Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld Tom Brady's four-game suspension.The Patriots were fined $1 millionfor violating the league's policy on the integrity of the game earlier this offseason. The team also forfeited a 2016 first-rounder and 2017 fourth-round selection in the NFL Draft. Here is a timeline of the events: Jan. 18, 2015: Reports surfaced that NFL is looking into the Patriots' use of "deflated footballs" in the AFC Championship Game victory over the Colts. Midway through the game, a ball was taken off the field and out of circulation, a league spokesman told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport at the time. Per the NFL rulebook, game balls must be inflated with between 12.5-13.5 pounds of air. Each team must provide 12 primary balls for testing prior to the game. NFL VP of Officiating Dean Blandino told NFL Network that, "it's not unheard of for a ball to be removed from circulation and then tested during the week for whatever issue there was." NFL suspends Tom Brady NFL suspends Tom Brady four gamesBattista: Brady punished in part for lack of cooperationLeague releases statement on Patriots' violationsPlayers react to punishment; Blount says it's 'ridiculous'Timeline of events leading to Brady's suspensionAnalysis: Cowboys, Steelers benefit from banEli: I'm not glad to see Brady banned by NFLSchein: Pats should still win AFC EastHow do fines get determined in the NFL?Video:Is Jimmy Garoppolo ready to carry the Patriots?Silver: It's an issue of integrity to the gameWarner says Brady's suspension is more than fair Jan. 20: NFL found that all 11 footballs used by the Patriots were underinflated. Jan. 22: Patriots coach Bill Belichick denied knowledge of deflated footballs during 23-minute news conference. "The National Football League is investigating this situation," Belichick said. "We have cooperated fully, quickly and completely with every request that they have made; (we) continue to be cooperative in any way that we can. I have no explanation for what happened. That's what they're looking into. So I can't comment on what they're doing. That's something that you should talk to them about." Jan. 22: Tom Brady told reporters during news conference: "I would never do anything to break the rules." "I go in and I take the footballs that I want to use for the game," Brady said. "Our equipment guys do a great job with breaking the balls in. They have a process that they go through. When I pick those balls out, at that point to me they are perfect. I don't want anyone touching the balls after that, I don't want anyone rubbing them, putting any air in them, taking any air out. "To me those balls are perfect and that's what I expect when I show up on the field. So that happened obviously on Sunday night, is the same process that I always go through. I didn't think anything of it." Jan. 23: NFL announced Ted Wells has been appointed to investigate the deflated footballs. Jan. 26: Patriots owner Robert Kraft vehemently denied wrongdoing by his team, expresses desire for apology from NFL if team is exonerated. "If the Wells investigation is not able to definitely determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs http://www.wshcapitalsgear.com/capitals-dale-hunter-jersey, I would expect and hope the league would apologize to our entire team and in particular coach Belichick and Tom Brady for what they have had to endure the last week. I am disappointed in the way the entire matter has been handled and reported upon," Kraft said. "I want to make it clear that I believe, unconditionally, that the New England Patriots have done nothing wrong." May 6: Ted Wells Report released, finds that "it is more probable than not that Jim McNally (the Officials Locker Room attendant for the Patriots) and John Jastremski (an equipment assistant for the Patriots) participated in a deliberate effort to release air from Patriots game balls after the balls were examined by the referee." It also finds that it is "more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls." The report said that other Patriots personnel were not aware of the effort. "We do not believe that the evidence establishes that any other Patriots personnel participated in or had knowledge of the violation of the Playing Rules or the deliberate effort to circumvent the rules described in this Report. In particular, we do not believe there was any wrongdoing or knowledge of wrongdoing by Patriots ownership, Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick or any other Patriots coach in the matters investigated." May 11: The NFL announced that Tom Brady has been suspended without pay for four games for violating the NFL policy on the integrity of the game. This news comes less than a week after independent investigator Ted Wells found that it was "more probable than not" that Brady was "at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities" regarding the deflation of Patriots game balls used in the AFC Championship Game against the Colts. The team was also fined $1 million and will forfeit a 2016 first-rounder and 2017 fourth-round selection in the NFL Draft. May 14: Patriots issued response to Ted Wells Report, via a website called WellsReportContext.com. "The conclusions of the Wells Report are, at best, incomplete, incorrect and lack context," the introduction to the website reads. "The Report dismisses the scientific explanation for the natural loss of psi of the Patriots footballs by inexplicably rejecting the Referee's recollection of what gauge he used in his pregame inspection. Texts acknowledged to be attempts at humor and exaggeration are nevertheless interpreted as a plot to improperly deflate footballs, even though none of them refer to any such plot. "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. All the extensive evidence which contradicts how the texts are interpreted by the investigators is simply dismissed as 'not plausible.' Inconsistencies in logic and evidence are ignored." May 14: The NFLPA filed an appeal of Tom Brady's four-game suspension on his behalf. Upon filing the appeal, the NFLPA released the following statement: "The NFLPA has filed an appeal of the four-game suspension of Tom Brady handed down by Troy Vincent. Given the NFL's inconsistency and arbitrary decisions in disciplinary matters, it is only fair that a neutral arbitrator hear this appeal. If Ted Wells and the NFL believe, as their public comments stated, that the evidence in their report is 'direct' and 'inculpatory,' then they should be confident enough to present their case before someone who is truly independent." May 19: Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced at the Spring League Meeting that the team will not appeal its punishment. "Although I might disagree with what is decided, I do have respect for the commissioner and believe that he's doing what he perceives to be in the best interest of the full 32," Kraft said during a six-minute address to reporters. "So in that spirit I don't want to continue the rhetoric that's gone on for the past four months. I'm going to accept, reluctantly, what he has given to us and not continue this dialogue and rhetoric and we won't appeal." May 29: Tom Brady's appeal to reduce a four-game suspensionset to begin on June 23. June 2: Commissioner Roger Goodell informed NFLPA he will not recuse himself from Tom Brady's June 23 appeal hearing. In the letter to the union, Goodell said that he does not feel prejudiced on the matter http://www.wshcapitalsgear.com/capitals-nate-schmidt-jersey."My mind is open http://www.wshcapitalsgear.com/capitals-troy-brouwer-jersey," he wrote. He added: "Because protecting the integrity of the game is the Commissioner's most important responsibility, I decline to rewrite our Collective Bargaining Agreement to abrogate my authority and 'discretion' to hear 'any appeal' in a conduct detrimental proceeding." June 23: Tom Brady's appeal for his four-game suspension ended Tuesday evening at NFL headquarters after ten hours of testimony http://www.wshcapitalsgear.com/capitals-chris-brown-jersey, the NFL announced. July 28: Commissioner Roger Goodell upholds Tom Brady's four-game suspension. In ruling, Goodell stated that Brady instructed his assistant to destroy the cellphone that he had been using since early November 2014, a period that included the AFC Championship game and the initial weeks of the subsequent investigation. Brady instructed his assistant to destroy the phone the very day he was interviewed by Ted Wells.