A four-game suspension from the NFL. A $US1 million ($A1.25 million) fine. The loss of first and fourth-round draft picks; the numbers were flying after Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were hit with a trio of penalties for tampering with the footballs in the AFC Championship.
But here are some other figures to follow in the scandal that has been dubbed Deflategate: $880,000.
That's how much the Patriots will save - that's right, save - as a result of the punishment handed down by the NFL on Monday (Tuesday AEST).
Sure, owner Robert Kraft will have to pay a $1 million fine. But the team would also save four of Brady's game checks, which are $470,588.23 for each week of the 17-week season - about $1.88 million.
Even better: The Patriots get a salary cap credit for the money they don't have to pay Brady, according to the players' union. Some of that will have to go to the player who replaces the three-time Super Bowl MVP on the roster. But the team could spend the rest of it elsewhere, perhaps on a cornerback to bolster its secondary for the entire season.
Player fines go to charity, but the $1 million from the Patriots will go into the NFL coffers to be distributed on a case-by-case basis. Look for it to pay for part of the probe, which lead investigator Ted Wells said on Tuesday cost "in the millions of dollars."
Brady has until Thursday to appeal the suspension, and agent Don Yee leaves no doubt that he will. The league would then have 10 days to set a hearing.
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the appeal would be heard by Commissioner Roger Goodell or someone designated by him. The team also has a right to appeal.
If Brady's suspension holds, he will miss the league's showcase opener on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and won't play in front of his hometown crowd until Oct. 25, when the Patriots host the New York Jets. A group of fans is hoping the team will refrain from unveiling the Super Bowl championship banner until he is there to see it.
The hashtag NoBradyNoBanner generated more than 15,000 tweets in the day after the suspension was handed down, according to social analytics website Topsy.com.
Elsewhere on social media: The Patriots changed their Twitter avatar to a shot of Brady's jersey.
Since the suspension was announced, sales of Brady's jersey have doubled, according to online retailer Fanatics.com.
He is the third most popular jersey on the site (up from sixth) since the Wells Report was released, behind only the top two picks in the NFL draft, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. The Patriots have spiked from fourth to second, behind the Dallas Cowboys.
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