Patriots' lawyers strike back with lengthy rebuttal to Wells Report

Lawyers for the New England Patriots issued a lengthy, highly critical response to the Wells Report on Thursday in an attempt to add what the team describes as "context" to the NFL's investigation into the "Deflategate" scandal.

More bluntly, the document aims to poke holes in Ted Wells' conclusions and, ultimately, exonerate quarterback Tom Brady of any wrongdoing.

"The conclusions of the Wells Report are, at best, incomplete, incorrect and lack context," the Patriots' response, which can be viewed in full at WellsReportContext.com, begins.

"Inconsistencies in logic and evidence are ignored."

From there, the Patriots' rebuttal moves point-by-point through the Wells Report, identifying alleged inconsistencies and errors.

At times, the document veers away from credibility. For instance, the Patriots say references to "The Deflator" made in text messages between team employees were not about footballs but instead weight loss.

Brady is expected to appeal his four-game suspension before Thursday's deadline of 5 p.m. ET.