NFL investigator Ted Wells says those questioning the impartiality of his report on the "Deflategate" scandal - a document that got Tom Brady suspended four games and the New England Patriots stripped of a first-round pick - are wrong.
Brady's agent Don Yee has been particularly outspoken since the report was published, alleging that Wells and the NFL concluded Brady was guilty before embarking on their investigation.
"I think it’s wrong to question my independence because you don’t like my findings," Wells said in a media conference call Tuesday.
Wells said he decided to speak out at this time because it's the first time anyone has questioned his impartiality, a clear shot at Yee.
Wells admitted he was paid "in millions of dollars" by the NFL for his work, but said no one from Brady's camp or the Patriots questioned his impartiality until after his report was published.
Wells dispelled a popular myth about the investigation by saying his team never asked for Brady's mobile phone but simply requested printouts of relevant texts and emails. He said Brady's refusal to provide this information was the only example of Brady not cooperating.
Wells also dismissed the notion the NFL set up a sting operation to take down Brady: "That people at the league office wanted to put a hit on the most popular player, the face of the league, doesn't make sense."
On the topic of Wells' conclusion that it is "more probable than not" the Patriots deflated balls, language that has led many Patriots supporters to claim the NFL has no definitive proof of wrongdoing, Wells said he was simply using the standard of proof spelled out in the NFL's rules.