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In their lengthy response to the Wells Report, the Patriots argue that the league prejudged the issues related to a loss of air pressure in footballs during the AFC Championship game.
The basis for that argument is the letter sent to the team by NFL senior vice president David Gardi on the day after the game was played. In the letter, Gardi writes that the league made “preliminary findings” that the balls used by the team did not meet the standard set forth in the rules. The team says that they made those findings “with no basis and no understanding of the effect of temperature on psi” and, therefore, “had already prejudged the issues” before hiring Ted Wells to investigate the issue.