Although they had neither Colts nor Patriots gauge to compare to the Ref’s two gauges, NFL investigators did determine that a master gauge and many others they tested all measured closer to the non-logo gauge, thus leading Wells to reject the Referee’s memory and use the non-logo gauge measurements. But this clearly constitutes League investigative bias: It turns out that all the other gauges they purchased then tested were the same model as the non-logo gauge, and none were the same model as the Logo gauge. They simply couldn’t locate any older Logo models the Wells report mentions in passing! Did they check Ebay?
In any case this “investigatory” bootstrapping is non-sequitur nonsense. Furthermore, as blogsters have pointed out the intercepted ball that began the whole affray, measured in the locker room 3 times with the Patriots’ gauge almost exactly matched the Logo gauge readings at halftime, thus clearly suggesting that the Ref, as he remembered had used the Logo gauge.1 Exponent conveniently rejected these readings as irrelevant – another potential instance of bias.
But it gets worse, much worse. The bias gets clearer and morphs into fraud.
1 C.f. Dave Garofalo, De-myth-tifying the Wells Report, THE SPORT POLICE (June 10, 2015)
The Sports Police: De-myth-tifying the Wells Report. Case 15-2801, Document 138, 12/14/2015, 1664330, Page17 of 39
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Having assumed the Non-logo gauge measurements on completely specious logic, when the suspiciously missing team gauges would have supported or exploded their non-logo gauge theory, NFL investigators still came up against an experienced referee’s memory. And Anderson recalled he had used his Logo gauge. Accepting all Anderson’s other recollections including the pre-game pressure of both team’s balls, Wells inexplicably rejected this single recollection in favor of an anti-Patriots non-sequitur.
Did Anderson typically use one or the other gauge? We don’t know, although investigators most probably asked him this. The Wells report doesn’t tell us and the NFL refused to turn over the interview notes. It bolsters their rejection of the ref’s memory if his two gauges could barely be distinguished. Perhaps, the referee himself mistook one for the other. As Exponent’s figure 2 shows us, the Logo gauge had a longer, more severely bent needle. How much longer? How much greater the bend? See for yourself.