The NFL needed to deflate Brady

It's always the cover up.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady likely cheated to gain an advantage in last year's AFC conference championship. That was bad. But then he stonewalled the NFL investigation into whether game balls were intentionally deflated. That was worse.

Now, he and his team will pay dearly. The NFL on Monday suspended Brady without pay for four games for "conduct detrimental" to the league. That will cost him a couple million dollars.

The Patriots will be fined $1 million and lose their first-round draft pick in 2016.

This is significant punishment, fully merited. Rules matter. Coming clean when you've been caught is equally important.

The suspension sends a strong message to every other player and every other team. It also affirms to young players that their parents and coaches are right: Play the game with honor.

"Not once in my career did I think, 'Can I break this rule and get away with it?'" former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner told Arizona Republic sports columnist Dan Bickley. "It was, 'Give me the ball and let's go play. My best against your best on a level-playing field.' Isn't that was sports is supposed to be about?"

Brady clearly had forgotten the right answer. Text messages collected from team employees strongly suggest that footballs were regularly deflated to the quarterback's expectations. He cheated.

Now, his image will take a beating, as it should. He is no role model. He represents the worst of sports, the diametric opposite of Warner. He won a lot of games, but now, as he watches the first quarter of the season in his favorite sports bar, he'll have plenty of time to ask:

Was it worth it? Maybe this time he'll get the answer right.