Wells report page 7: On the sideline, Colts equipment personnel used a pressure gauge to measure the inflation level of the ball, determined that it was below the minimum 12.5 psi level and informed a game official and other NFL personnel.
That is a violation.Nobody but a ref can check ball pressure, EVER.
Page 9: Our consultants confirmed that a reduction in air pressure is a natural result of footballs moving from a relatively warm environment such as a locker room to a colder environment such as a playing field.
This should be bold and in 24 point font, because people still don’t GET IT.
Page 10: Exponent also concluded that the difference in the magnitude of the reduction in air pressure between the Patriots and Colts footballs based on the halftime measurements is statistically significant. Dr. Marlow agreed with Exponent‟s conclusions.
4 Colts footballs is not enough sample size to justify that conclusion. Compare them to the first 4, last 4, or middle 4 Patriots balls and you get different answers.
Page 11: Colts footballs and the Colts halftime measurements were used as a “control” group because there was no plausible basis on which to believe there had been tampering with the Colts balls.
Why assume that? The Colts balls were also tested just before 13-minute halftime was OVER, when they had been in the heated room for 10 minutes.
Page 12: Exponent concluded that the average pressures recorded for the Patriots game balls during halftime of the AFC Championship Game were lower than the lowest average pressures attained by the simulations. In other words, when tests were run using the most likely game-day conditions and circumstances, the Patriots halftime measurements could not be replicated, and the pressures observed for the Patriots footballs by Exponent during its experiments were all higher
Nobody else sees that, at all. Grade schoolers have done the experiment.
Page 16: Counsel for the Patriots also contended that the text messages between McNally and Jastremski referring to the inflation levels of footballs and related topics were not serious and should be seen as nothing more than attempts at humor and hyperbole. We also find these claims not plausible.
Because you don’t want to?
Pages 18-20: a big deal is made of an “increase in the frequency of text and telephone communications between Jastremski and Brady post-game”
No %$%#. Somebody was accusing them of cheating. It was leading the world news coverage on CNN. Wouldn’t you be talking to each other about what the F is going on?
Page 21: At various points in the investigation, counsel for the Patriots questioned the integrity and objectivity of game officials, various NFL executives and certain NFL Security representatives present at the AFC Championship Game or otherwise involved in the investigative process. We found no evidence to substantiate the questions raised by counsel. Specifically, we identified no evidence of any bias or unfairness. We believe that the game officials, NFL executives, NFL Security representatives and other members of the NFL staff who participated in the testing of the footballs and the subsequent investigative process acted fairly, properly and responsibly.
Page 46, footnote: Because Sullivan‟s email did not provide specific factual support for the Colts’ concerns, NFL officials determined that it was not necessary to ask the game officials preemptively to check the air pressure in the Patriots game balls during the game, as Sullivan had requested. They reported during interviews that, without additional specific information that might raise further concern, they believed that the referee’s standard pregame inspection of the game balls would be sufficient, and that a change in the standard inspection protocols was not necessary. In particular, prior to the game, there was no plan to check the air pressure of the balls at halftime or any other time during the game. There was no “sting” operation, no plan for a “sting” operation and no discussion of a “sting” operation.
Why did they not ask Grigson what the hell he meant by it being “well known” that the Patriots deflate game balls?
Page 46: They also cited unspecified chatter throughout the League that the Patriots prefer their footballs softer than other teams and that visiting teams should be on guard when playing at Gillette Stadium. They could not identify a specific source for this information or reference particular conversations.
Why could they not identify a source? Is that a hard question?
Page 52: Although Anderson‟s best recollection is that he used the Logo Gauge, he said that it is certainly possible that he used the Non-Logo Gauge… we believe it is more probable that Anderson used the Non-Logo Gauge for his pre-game measurements.
Yes, we will choose to disbelieve an official, if it helps our story!
Page 59: He also claimed that he went into the bathroom with the game balls because when he got to the end of the tunnel, he realized that he suddenly had to use the bathroom.
Page 59: He said that on the day of the AFC Championship Game, he entered the bathroom, dropped the ball bags to his left, and used the urinal to his right. That bathroom, however, does not contain a urinal. Upon further questioning, McNally claimed that he did not pay attention to what type of fixture he used.
LOL, would you necessarily recall where it was that you took a pee?
Page 63: Following the interception upon reaching the sideline, Jackson handed the ball to David Thornton, the Colts Director of Player Engagement, near the Colts bench and Thornton immediately handed the ball to Assistant Equipment Manager Brian Seabrooks. According to Seabrooks, he believed that the ball felt similar to the footballs intercepted by Mike Adams during the Colts game against the Patriots earlier in the season, so he asked one of the team‟s equipment interns to locate a pressure gauge and test the inflation level of the intercepted ball. The intern used a digital pressure gauge similar to the gauge used by the Colts to set their footballs before the game, and reported that the pressure measured approximately 11 psi. Seabrooks then walked with the intercepted football to Equipment Manager Sean Sullivan, who squeezed the ball and agreed that it felt soft.
This is ILLEGAL. Nobody but a ref can check ball pressure, EVER.
Page 69: Exponent believes that the results recorded for the third Colts ball tested reflect an anomaly in that, unlike the other Colts balls tested, the reading made by Prioleau is higher than the reading made by Blakeman. Exponent believes that this anomaly may be the result of a transcription error where the measurements recorded were attributed to the opposite game official (i.e., on game day, Blakeman measured 12.95 psi and Prioleau measured 12.50 psi) or a recording error where the pressure measured by
So, the numbers don’t fit your story, you “correct” the numbers in the analysis. Yeah, right…
Page 89: Jastremski also has received various items of value from Brady, including in the months before the AFC Championship Game
If you worked for the Patriots, would you think it’s wrong to ask multimillionaire players to autograph stuff for you or to give you a tip around the holidays for your hard work?
