Roger Goodell: No Sympathy for Wade Wilson

In the wake of Patriotgate, Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson has questioned why he got a five-game suspension for receiving a shipment of human growth hormone, while Patriots coach Bill Belichick got no suspension at all for cheating.

But in his interview yesterday with Bob Costas of NBC, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he didn't buy the comparison:

Costas asked: "Wade Wilson, quarterback coach of the Cowboys, received a shipment of HGH. You suspended him five games, fined him $100,000, which is one-third of his salary. Half a million, we guess, is about one-tenth of Belichick's salary. Wilson, who is no longer a player, said he received it to help him cope with the effects of diabetes. Is that a disproportionate penalty?"

Goodell replied: "First of all, I'm not going to get into the personal situations of why Wade was taking it, but that's not an accurate point. Second of all, Wade Wilson was involved in a criminal activity. It was against the law. There's a very clear policy for our clubs and our players that if you violate that, it's a four-game suspension. I suspended him for five games because I think a coach should be held to a higher standard. That is why I approached it that way. They all understand the rules, and I think we did what was appropriate in Wade Wilson's case, and I'm comfortable with that."

By saying, "that's not an accurate point," Goodell seemed to be suggesting that Wilson is lying when he says he takes HGH for treatment of diabetes. But if that's the case, why wouldn't Goodell get into why Wilson was taking it? Shouldn't there be a full accounting of exactly what Wilson was doing when he illegally acquired a substance that's banned by the NFL?