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Belichick tries to clear the air
'We try to do everything right'
Patriots Deflated Foo Heal 1
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick speaks during a news conference at Gillette Stadium, Saturday, in Foxborough, Mass., where he defended the way his team preps its game balls. - photo by Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Saying his team "followed every rule to the letter," New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick described in detail how his team prepares its footballs on game day and defended his players from chatter that they made it to the Super Bowl by cheating. "At no time was there any intent whatsoever to try to compromise the integrity of the game or to gain an advantage," Belichick said in an unscheduled availability on Saturday afternoon, eight days before the Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks for the NFL championship. "Quite the opposite: we feel like we followed the rules of the game to the letter," he said.