NEW YORK--New England Patriots star Tom Brady on Wednesday lost a bid to have a U.S. appeals court reconsider his four-game suspension, in what could be the quarterback's last chance to avoid punishment over the "Deflategate" scandal.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said it would not review its April 25 decision to reinstate Brady's suspension by the National Football League over deflated footballs. If it stands, the suspension imposed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would force Brady, who turns 39 next month and was twice the league's most valuable player, to miss the first four games of the season beginning in September.
It would also end an 18-month saga that had become a major distraction for the NFL, which also faces criticism over player safety and the link between football and concussions.
The request for a rehearing by Brady and the National Football League Players Association had been considered a long shot because the appeals court rarely grants them. Brady can still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but it accepts to review only a small fraction of cases it considers.
The players union in a statement said it was disappointed by the order and will review its legal options, while maintaining that there were "clear violations" by the NFL and Goodell of their collective bargaining agreement. "Despite today's result, the track record of this League office when it comes to matters of player discipline is bad for our business and bad for our game," the union said. "We have a broken system that must be fixed."
Representatives for the NFL and Brady did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Brady was suspended after the NFL discovered underinflated footballs were used in the Patriots' 45-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts in the January 2015 AFC championship game. The win propelled the Patriots to Super Bowl XLIX, where they beat the Seattle Seahawks, giving Brady his fourth title.
Brady was suspended after a lawyer hired by the league to investigate said the quarterback had been "generally aware" that two Patriots employees had conspired to deflate the footballs, which could make them easier to grip. The quarterback has denied involvement.
Goodell upheld the suspension in July 2015, prompting a lawsuit from the players union asserting that he overstepped his authority. A federal judge threw out Brady's suspension, allowing him to play the entire 2015 season.
But in a 2-1 decision on April 25, an appeals court panel restored Brady's punishment, saying Goodell had broad discretion under the league's collective bargaining agreement with its players to resolve what it called an "intramural controversy."
Wednesday's order rejected Brady's motion to have the panel or the entire appeals court reconsider the case. Brady and the players union had said letting the decision stand would undermine collectively bargained labour agreements. The NFL countered that its agreement with the union gave Goodell expansive power to discipline players.
Two former U.S. solicitors general under President George W. Bush were on opposite sides of the case, with Theodore Olson representing the union and Paul Clement representing the NFL.
Brady drew support for his appeal from many parties, including the Patriots, mediator Kenneth Feinberg, and even a group of physics and engineering professors who said deflated footballs were a normal part of the game.

SAN DIEGO--Second-inning homers by Kansas City teammates Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez powered the American League to a 4-2 victory over the National League on Tuesday night in the 87th All-Star Game before 42,386 at Petco Park.
  The National League was leading 1-0 thanks to a Kris Bryant homer in the first inning when Hosmer tied it with a one-out homer off National League starter Johnny Cueto. Two batters later, Perez connected for a two-run shot off Cueto.
  Hosmer, who finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, was named the Most Valuable Player.
  Cleveland right-hander Corey Kluber was the winning pitcher and Baltimore left-hander Zach Britton collected the save. Cueto suffered the loss.
  The National League stranded 10 runners and left the bases loaded in the eighth when Houston right-hander Will Harris threw a full-count, called third strike past pinch-hitter Aldemys Diaz of the St. Louis Cardinals. The heavy San Diego influence of the pregame ceremonies carried into the first inning when Bryant, a University of San Diego alum, homered on the first pitch he saw from American League starter Chris Sale in an all-Chicago matchup.
  The Cubs third baseman drove the ball 410 feet into the left field stands off the White Sox right-hander. But the American League retaliated in the bottom of the second against Cueto, taking a 3-1 lead on two homers by members of the reigning World Series champion Royals.
  With one out, Hosmer dropped a 389-foot drive into the left field stands to tie the score at 1. Boston outfielder Mookie Betts singled and Royals catcher Eddie Perez hit a 373-foot blast into the left field stands peppered the night before by Home Run Derby champion Giancarlo Stanton.
  Hosmer and Perez were the first set of teammates to homer in the same inning since Steve Garvey and Jimmy Wynn of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1975 All-Star Game.
  Cole Hamels continued the host city story in the top of the third when the San Diego native struck out Bryant with the tying runs at second and third with two outs.
  The American League extended its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the third against Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins. Boston designated hitter David Ortiz, who has announced he will retire at the end of the 2016 season, drew a one-out walk and received an ovation from the crowd and hugs from the American League bench when he came out for pinch-runner Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays.
  Encarnacion raced to third on a double by Boston's Xander Bogarts and scored on a single by Hosmer, the second RBI by the Royals first baseman. But Betts grounded into a double play to end the threat.
  The National League cut the deficit to 4-2 in the top of the fourth. Giants catcher Buster Posey drew a one-out walk from Toronto right-hander Aaron Sanchez and came around on back-to-back singles by Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Marlins center fielder Marcell Osuna.

LONDON--Athletes from one sport should not be punished for the sins of those from another, the IOC president said on Wednesday, cooling speculation that Russia could be banned from the Olympics altogether for systematic doping.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is due to issue a report on Monday covering its investigation into allegations that a Russian state-run system helped doped athletes escape detection at the Sochi Winter Olympics of 2014.
Travis Tygart, head of the United States' Anti-Doping Agency, is one of several people who have said that if the report does confirm the allegations of systematic doping are true then Russia should be banned from the Rio Olympics. Russia's track and field athletes are already banned as a result of state-sponsored doping.
However, Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said: "It is obvious you cannot sanction a badminton player for an infringement of the rules by an official or a lab director at the Winter Games. In the same way we would not consider sanctioning all athletes from a particular sport if there is manipulation of the rules by the leadership of a federation. What we have to do is take decisions based on facts and to find the right balance between a collective responsibility and individual justice."
Speaking on a conference call with international news agencies, Bach said he did not want to speculate about what measures could be taken until there is evidence of any proven infringement. He added that the IOC was aware that several federations had already begun carrying out extra targeted tests on Russian athletes and made sure that their samples are tested outside the country in a bid to build confidence in the results.
One Russian athlete who could be competing in Rio is long jumper Darya Klishina, but it remains unclear which kit she will be wearing. Due to being based, and tested, in the United States, she was declared eligible by the IAAF, who suggested she be allowed to compete as a neutral athlete.
Bach, however, indicated otherwise. "She has been declared eligible by her international federation," he said. "Now it is up to her National Olympic Committee to decide about her entry to the Games and then she would be a member of the Russian team."
Russia's weightlifters are also facing a blanket ban from Rio over doping but Bach said the IOC has not yet confirmed a series of failures from re-tests of samples given at the 2008 and 2012 Games. Belarus and weightlifting superpower Kazakhstan are also banned from Rio, pending IOC confirmation after 17 weightlifters re-tested positive, while Bulgaria is already banned.
"More disciplinary commission hearings are taking place over the next few weeks with priority being given to athletes who may qualify for Rio," Bach said.
Bach declined to speculate whether the widespread doping could lead to weightlifting being thrown out of the Olympics, other than saying: "All sports are evaluated after each Games and the fight against doping is one of the major criteria. You also have to take into consideration that the weightlifting federation do the maximum in the fight against doping."
Another sport that might be a little nervous about its post-Rio evaluation is golf, back in the Olympics for the first time since 1904. More than 20 male players, including the top four in the world, have pulled out of Rio, most of them citing fears about the Zika virus, while Rory McIlory said on Tuesday he would not even watch on TV and instead follow "sports that matter."
"We have to respect the individual decisions, even if they are going contrary to the World Health Organisation recommendations," Bach said. "On the other hand, we are aware of discussion in the golf community that there are obviously very different reasons for not going to Rio, not related to Zika. For the evaluations one of the main categories is of course the question of participation by the best players."
Bach said he was looking forward to the Rio Games, which start on Aug. 5, and said the IOC had played its part in helping organisers during a difficult period.
"The IOC has been showing solidarity with our Brazilian partners though the financial, social, economic and political crisis in the country," he said. "We have made contributions financially, and some federations have taken over some costs normally borne by the organising committee. We have also contributed by reducing costs - cutting capacities, reducing services and in such a way acknowledging that Brazil has been hit by a crisis.
"But we have put a very strong focus on legacy - both in terms of infrastructure and social legacy,” he added. "There will be a Rio and a better Rio after the Games."

REVEL, France--Michael Matthews turned the page on years of bad luck in the Tour de France to complete his set of grand tour victories when he won the 10th stage after a royal breakaway on Tuesday.
  The Australian, with three Vuelta and two Giro d'Italia stage wins to his name, outsprinted his breakaway companions after 197km from Escaldes-Engordany, Andorra, benefiting from the support of two of his Orica-Bike Exchange team mates.
  World champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), who reclaimed the green jersey for the points classification from Briton Mark Cavendish, took second place and Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) finished third.
  Matthews missed the 2014 Tour after sustaining injuries in training and last year, he abandoned after breaking four ribs. "And this year already I had crashed twice. I was almost giving up on this race, thinking maybe the Tour de France is not for me," he said.
  Briton Chris Froome (Team Sky) retained the overall leader's yellow jersey after finishing safe in the main peloton 9:39 off the pace. "The start was pretty full on, there was a lot of work for my team mates to control the race," said Froome. "But it was pretty straightforward from there. However, it's a good day to tick off."
  The stage got off to a nervous start on the category-one climb to the Port d'Envalira, as riders were keen to win places in the day's breakaway which took its final shape after about 60 kilometres. It was a royal break as six of the 15 fugitives had already worn the yellow jersey and nine of them were Tour stage winners.
  With 24km left, Sagan's brutal acceleration on a small rise split the group and only seven, including two of Matthews's team mates, remained in front. Matthews benefited from compatriot and team mate Luke Durbridge's work to keep the chasers at bay and then stayed in Sagan's wheel as his other team mate, South African Daryl Impey, led the group in the lead-up to the final sprint.
  Impey also attacked on the short climb up the Cote de Saint Ferreol close to the finish, forcing Sagan to make efforts that probably left the Slovak short of juice in the finale. Matthews then delivered with an impressive burst of speed over the final 200 metres.
  "I would not have won without Luke Durbridge, and Daryl Impey attacking in the climb and leading out the sprint," said Matthews.
  Wednesday's 11th stage is a 162.5-km ride between Carcassonne and Montpellier that should favour the sprinters before Thursday's trek up to the intimidating Mont Ventoux.