Wade Wilson to appeal his suspension (1 Viewer)

[Ghost Rider]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3019472

In his first comments since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell punished Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots for cheating without removing him from the sidelines, suspended Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson told ESPN's Ed Werder that he intends to write a letter to the league office seeking an explanation for what he considers inconsistent enforcement of NFL policy, and might attempt to determine whether he can appeal his five-game suspension.

"I would say there is definitely a double standard being applied here," Wilson said Friday when reached at his home near the team's practice facility. "I don't want to be seen as a crybaby or as someone questioning the commissioner's decision, but I see some major inconsistencies here.

"To me, they're holding the organization accountable instead of the person." On Sept. 1, the NFL suspended Wilson for five games and fined him $100,000 -- nearly a third of his salary as an assistant coach. Wilson, who has suffered from diabetes for 24 years, admitted he purchased medication -- believed to be HGH -- banned by the league's substance abuse policy, although he said he did not know the rule applied to coaches as well as players. Wilson did so while working as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bears and turned over phone records and credit card receipts in a seemingly successful attempt to convince the league he was taking them for his own personal benefit and not distributing them to players.

"They were concerned about distributing, and I was cleared of that or I was told I would have been banned from the NFL for life," Wilson said. "I don't' want to bash the commissioner, but I definitely think there are some inconsistencies here. Intent was a big issue in my defense. What their [Patriots] intent was, I don't know. But I was just taking my punishment, and I guess what the commissioner does with Belichick is his business, but I think there are some inconsistencies here."

Belichick avoided suspension but was fined $500,000.

The Patriots were fined $250,000 and will be required to forfeit at least one first-day draft choice for illegally videotaping opponents.

"I did something wrong, but I did it only to benefit myself, not to gain a competitive advantage," Wilson said. "I accepted my punishment and moved on, but this is kind of a different deal. The percentage of my salary that I was fined is substantially more than the percentage he was fined as far as I can tell. I mean, $500,000 is nothing to laugh at -- but neither is $100,000. The punishment is definitely not the same in my opinion."

"I'm contemplating whether to write a letter because I accepted the punishment for my violation, didn't appeal and went about my business. All I'm asking for is an explanation, and I know exactly what the commissioner is going to say because I've read his comments, but it might make me feel better."

Wilson later said he might explore whether the window in which he had to appeal his punishment might still be open. He's hoping to use Belichick's punishment to make the point that he believes the sanctions he suffered were unfair in comparison.

"I don't know if I have the ability to do that as long as I'm suspended or whether it's too late," he said.

"But it might be something worth checking into now."

 

[Da Masses]

Amen brother

 

[David Yudkin]

Appeal to whom?

 

[jonessed]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

 

[jonessed]

Appeal to whom?

Obviously Goodell. There is noone else to appeal to. Nothing is going to come out of it, but he's right to make a stink.

 

[pghrob]

I am glad to see he is speaking up for himself. I hope other people with influence come out and support Wilson, because there is a disparity here and the Commissioner should explain the logic related to the punishments.

 

[Crusaderfan]

Good for him - he is absolutely right.

 

[David Yudkin]

I am pretty sure that there are etched in stone substance policies that come into play here that must be followed by coaches and players alike. So I believe that Wilson would get a minimum of a 4 game suspension no matter what, but maybe the commish can change things entirely on his own.

 

[NYCGangGreen]

Now we can get some clarification on just what prompted the harsh suspension to Wilson, but the slap on the wrist to BB.

All in all, i empathize with Wilson, the guy is a diabetic who also had E.D. problems....cant blame him for trying to get a little help.

BB did this out of sheer arrogance and disrespect to a rule emphasized a week before opening day.

Good luck Wade, I hope you get reinstated sooner!!!!!!!!

 

[1huskerfan]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

 

[pghrob]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

 

[David Yudkin]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

But as I have been saying all week, the penalty for what BB is not defined, and with defining the penalty it could/would pose problems. The NFL policy on banned substances spells out the penalty, so they can simply point to it and say that was the rule, here is your penalty.I don't agree with it either, but that's how things have been set up.

 

[Snotbubbles]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

I wouldn't say that. Performance enhancing drugs or signal stealing. Which one is worse?

 

[1huskerfan]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

Completely subjective.

 

[Snotbubbles]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

But as I have been saying all week, the penalty for what BB is not defined, and with defining the penalty it could/would pose problems. The NFL policy on banned substances spells out the penalty, so they can simply point to it and say that was the rule, here is your penalty.I don't agree with it either, but that's how things have been set up.

I would laugh if Goddell said, "Wade your right, I'm gonna lift your suspension but I'm gonna fine you 500k and take your teams 1st round pick next year."

 

[pghrob]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

But as I have been saying all week, the penalty for what BB is not defined, and with defining the penalty it could/would pose problems. The NFL policy on banned substances spells out the penalty, so they can simply point to it and say that was the rule, here is your penalty.I don't agree with it either, but that's how things have been set up.

I would laugh if Goddell said, "Wade your right, I'm gonna lift your suspension but I'm gonna fine you 500k and take your teams 1st round pick next year."

 

[massraider]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

I wouldn't say that. Performance enhancing drugs or signal stealing. Which one is worse?

Performance enhancing taken by a coach, or signal stealing?Signal stealing in a landslide, brother.

The only one that cares about Wades performance being enhanced is Mrs. Wilson, and that doesn't affect the game of football at all.

 

[jonessed]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

I wouldn't say that. Performance enhancing drugs or signal stealing. Which one is worse?

For a coach? That's a stupid question.

 

[Snotbubbles]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

I wouldn't say that. Performance enhancing drugs or signal stealing. Which one is worse?

Performance enhancing taken by a coach, or signal stealing?Signal stealing in a landslide, brother.

The only one that cares about Wades performance being enhanced is Mrs. Wilson, and that doesn't affect the game of football at all.

Neither does what PacMan Jones or Chris Henry did yet they still got suspended.

 

[jonessed]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

If you punish a lesser transgression harsher than a major transgression you have inconsistency. Whether the inconsitency is in the rules or Goodell's ruling really doesn't matter.

 

[1huskerfan]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

I wouldn't say that. Performance enhancing drugs or signal stealing. Which one is worse?

Performance enhancing taken by a coach, or signal stealing?Signal stealing in a landslide, brother.

The only one that cares about Wades performance being enhanced is Mrs. Wilson, and that doesn't affect the game of football at all.

Nothing wrong with signal stealing. It has always, and always will, happen. All levels of every sport that uses them. Every comment I have seen from a coach was basically a shrug, and "yeah? create better signs." Maybe Mangina should get some pointers from his kid's Little League coach.

 

[1huskerfan]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

If you punish a lesser transgression harsher than a major transgression you have inconsistency. Whether the inconsitency is in the rules or Goodell's ruling really doesn't matter.

And which transgression is greater?

 

[massraider]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

I wouldn't say that. Performance enhancing drugs or signal stealing. Which one is worse?

Performance enhancing taken by a coach, or signal stealing?Signal stealing in a landslide, brother.

The only one that cares about Wades performance being enhanced is Mrs. Wilson, and that doesn't affect the game of football at all.

Neither does what PacMan Jones or Chris Henry did yet they still got suspended.

And I really didn't care if they got suspended or not. But you are talking about different things now. You asked a question, and I answered it. I don't think there's any way to make the argument that a coach taking HGH is worse than what the Pats did.

I am assuming most fans are more interested in the game, like myself, as opposed to the off-field stuff. If there are people more interested in the personal lives of players and coaches than the on-filed game, fair enough.

 

[jonessed]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

If you punish a lesser transgression harsher than a major transgression you have inconsistency. Whether the inconsitency is in the rules or Goodell's ruling really doesn't matter.

And which transgression is greater?

 

[massraider]

Nothing wrong with signal stealing. It has always, and always will, happen. All levels of every sport that uses them. Every comment I have seen from a coach was basically a shrug, and "yeah? create better signs." Maybe Mangina should get some pointers from his kid's Little League coach.

Yeah, it's the method that called into question here.I know you are fine with signal stealing. So am I. But when the playing field isn't level, and one team is doing it the old-fashioned way (we assume), and and the other has Video Boy on the teams sideline, that affects the integrity of the game, and maybe the outcome.

 

[1huskerfan]

You asked a question, and I answered it. I don't think there's any way to make the argument that a coach taking HGH is worse than what the Pats did.

Bingo

 

[1huskerfan]

Nothing wrong with signal stealing. It has always, and always will, happen. All levels of every sport that uses them. Every comment I have seen from a coach was basically a shrug, and "yeah? create better signs." Maybe Mangina should get some pointers from his kid's Little League coach.

Yeah, it's the method that called into question here.I know you are fine with signal stealing. So am I. But when the playing field isn't level, and one team is doing it the old-fashioned way (we assume), and and the other has Video Boy on the teams sideline, that affects the integrity of the game, and maybe the outcome.

How does the method have anything to do with it? They could have done the same thing with binoculars. The only advantage is that they can review the signs at a later time. Big deal.

 

[1huskerfan]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

If you punish a lesser transgression harsher than a major transgression you have inconsistency. Whether the inconsitency is in the rules or Goodell's ruling really doesn't matter.

And which transgression is greater?

Great response

 

[tangfoot]

Nothing wrong with signal stealing. It has always, and always will, happen. All levels of every sport that uses them. Every comment I have seen from a coach was basically a shrug, and "yeah? create better signs." Maybe Mangina should get some pointers from his kid's Little League coach.

I agree with this to a point, but there is a specific league rule/policy concerning utilizing electronic eavesdropping in the act of stealing signals.There's nothing wrong with having a guy on the payroll who sits there and manually writes down all the signals and attempts to decipher them but videotaping the coaches and then using that to compare with the play that was executed on the field is clearly spelled out as a violation.

 

[massraider]

Nothing wrong with signal stealing. It has always, and always will, happen. All levels of every sport that uses them. Every comment I have seen from a coach was basically a shrug, and "yeah? create better signs." Maybe Mangina should get some pointers from his kid's Little League coach.

Yeah, it's the method that called into question here.I know you are fine with signal stealing. So am I. But when the playing field isn't level, and one team is doing it the old-fashioned way (we assume), and and the other has Video Boy on the teams sideline, that affects the integrity of the game, and maybe the outcome.

How does the method have anything to do with it? They could have done the same thing with binoculars. The only advantage is that they can review the signs at a later time. Big deal.

And here is where we disagree. I do NOT think they could have done the same thing with binoculars. Potentially, anyway, as we have no idea how much the pats knew about any opposing teams signals.

I also disagree that later-date review is the only advantage. However, I know you have read the same stuff as me, including several posters laying out exactly what the advantages could be. So I assume you won't be changing your mind on this one.

No sweat.

 

[Workhorse]

Again, Wilson's claim that HGH was to be used for his diabetes is SKETCHY AT BEST. Most studies not only show that HGH doesn't help impotence but it actually makes the symptoms of Diabetes WORSE.

Richard Rydze from the Steelers was wrapped up in this whole thing two, and despite his initial claims that the HGH had nothing to do with his role as team doctor, he ws FIRED in June.

If I were Wilson, I'd keep my mouth shut about this whole thing.

 

[mad sweeney]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

But as I have been saying all week, the penalty for what BB is not defined, and with defining the penalty it could/would pose problems. The NFL policy on banned substances spells out the penalty, so they can simply point to it and say that was the rule, here is your penalty.I don't agree with it either, but that's how things have been set up.

Then why didn't Harrison and all other banned substance players get 5 games? The extra game was added because Goodell holds coaches up to a higher standard. I may be wrong but I don't believe that is in the cut and dried penalty codes. Goodell added a subjective extra game to the suspension because WW is a coach. I agree with him, the punishment for BB is not consistent with the punishment others have received.

 

[1huskerfan]

Nothing wrong with signal stealing. It has always, and always will, happen. All levels of every sport that uses them. Every comment I have seen from a coach was basically a shrug, and "yeah? create better signs." Maybe Mangina should get some pointers from his kid's Little League coach.

I agree with this to a point, but there is a specific league rule/policy concerning utilizing electronic eavesdropping in the act of stealing signals.There's nothing wrong with having a guy on the payroll who sits there and manually writes down all the signals and attempts to decipher them but videotaping the coaches and then using that to compare with the play that was executed on the field is clearly spelled out as a violation.

First off, I am a coach, and think it is a STUPID RULE and the NFL needs to evolve. Regardless, it is a rule, and they should be punished. The 'unfair advantage' they gained was the ability to review the signs whenever they wanted. IMO, I don't think that is a huge advantage. I guarantee you these guys already have extensive databases on each other. Again, the camera provides no real time advantage, only an advantage in preparation, and a small one at that. An advantage that can be neutralized by a more complicated system of signs. All they have to do is what virtually every HS team in the country does.

 

[1huskerfan]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

But as I have been saying all week, the penalty for what BB is not defined, and with defining the penalty it could/would pose problems. The NFL policy on banned substances spells out the penalty, so they can simply point to it and say that was the rule, here is your penalty.I don't agree with it either, but that's how things have been set up.

Then why didn't Harrison and all other banned substance players get 5 games? The extra game was added because Goodell holds coaches up to a higher standard. I may be wrong but I don't believe that is in the cut and dried penalty codes. Goodell added a subjective extra game to the suspension because WW is a coach.

WW is also not protected by the NFLPA.

 

[David Yudkin]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

But as I have been saying all week, the penalty for what BB is not defined, and with defining the penalty it could/would pose problems. The NFL policy on banned substances spells out the penalty, so they can simply point to it and say that was the rule, here is your penalty.I don't agree with it either, but that's how things have been set up.

Then why didn't Harrison and all other banned substance players get 5 games? The extra game was added because Goodell holds coaches up to a higher standard. I may be wrong but I don't believe that is in the cut and dried penalty codes. Goodell added a subjective extra game to the suspension because WW is a coach. I agree with him, the punishment for BB is not consistent with the punishment others have received.

If by rule it states that coaches are to be held to a higher standard, 4 games + 1 game = a higher standard. I don't know what the official definition of "higher standard" translates to, so maybe they could have left it at 4 games and fined him instead of adding the extra game.As for BB, I've said a million times that he should have been suspended, but I also think that suspending him would not have kept him from running the team unless he was locked in a closet the entire time.

The other point was that banned substances and camera on the field are not the same thing as far as the rule book goes. We can debate which is worse, but it won't change that they are distinctly different in the way the NFL policies are mapped out (for better or for worse).

We also don't know what PRECISELY the Pats were written up on, as the decision doesn't say what rule they broke, and in fact, the decision does not even say they broke any rules IIRC. I believe they siad that they found fault with the Patriots interpretation of the league's video policies.

There was no public trial on this one, so no one really knows what was said, what the allegations really were, and what section of the rules they even looked at. We can guess, but we don't know.

And to reinterate, I'm not taking sides, I'm just trying to show how Wilson does not = BB and the videotape.

 

[pghrob]

Again, Wilson's claim that HGH was to be used for his diabetes is SKETCHY AT BEST. Most studies not only show that HGH doesn't help impotence but it actually makes the symptoms of Diabetes WORSE.Richard Rydze from the Steelers was wrapped up in this whole thing two, and despite his initial claims that the HGH had nothing to do with his role as team doctor, he ws FIRED in June.If I were Wilson, I'd keep my mouth shut about this whole thing.

But the Cowboys didn't get an in game advantage from Wilson using HGH.

 

[kensat30]

Goodell seems like a mob boss to me, making all these decisions without a firm set of rules in place. Where does he come up with all these decisions from? His ###?

Dictator.

 

[Workhorse]

Again, Wilson's claim that HGH was to be used for his diabetes is SKETCHY AT BEST. Most studies not only show that HGH doesn't help impotence but it actually makes the symptoms of Diabetes WORSE.Richard Rydze from the Steelers was wrapped up in this whole thing two, and despite his initial claims that the HGH had nothing to do with his role as team doctor, he ws FIRED in June.If I were Wilson, I'd keep my mouth shut about this whole thing.

But the Cowboys didn't get an in game advantage from Wilson using HGH.

You're assuming that Wilson was purchasing HGH for himself. Just like some people are buying the notion that Dr. Rydze was buying HGH for his elderly patients....with his own credit card.

 

[Skinsfansince72]

Amen brother

Double Amen! One guy clearly did nothing to harm the league and he's getting suspended and losing 1/3 of his salary.The other clearly did harm to the league and he's getting off without much of a penalty at all(no way the guy is out of pocket one dime in the long run). The commish of the NFL has shown that he's not the least bit concerned with the integrity of the league.None of the player or coaches(Wilson) he's suspended did anything that comes close to being detrimental to the league. The one guy who has done something detrimental to the league is getting off scott free.Note-I don't think what Bill B did was a big deal BUT the commish does think so. He's calling it cheating. It's a shame thathe doesn't have the balls to suspend the head coach of the pats for at least half of the season. It would be consistent with his other rulings.

 

[David Yudkin]

Again, Wilson's claim that HGH was to be used for his diabetes is SKETCHY AT BEST. Most studies not only show that HGH doesn't help impotence but it actually makes the symptoms of Diabetes WORSE.Richard Rydze from the Steelers was wrapped up in this whole thing two, and despite his initial claims that the HGH had nothing to do with his role as team doctor, he ws FIRED in June.If I were Wilson, I'd keep my mouth shut about this whole thing.

But the Cowboys didn't get an in game advantage from Wilson using HGH.

But you can say the same thing about ANY of the player suspensions. No team got an advantage by a player taking drugs, running a dogfighting ring, or getting arrested. They are not apples to apples, even though for some reason people want to treat them as such. Videotaping falls under a team category and the rules are a lot murkier in terms of what happens when teams are involved.And by now, there have been so many people suggesting that what the Pats did, while against the rules, was only slightly more beyond what (allegedly) other teams are doing. Sure, it's an advantage, but it's not like the Pats had 16 guys on offense playing against 4 guys on defense.And to be clear again, I'm not making excuses for the Pats. They broke the rules and deserve their punishment. The punishment was handed down and they need to move on.

 

[David Yudkin]

Note-I don't think what Bill B did was a big deal BUT the commish does think so. He's calling it cheating.

I do not believe that the commish ever used the word cheating, nor did he say that any particular rules were broken. Whether that's just semantics is a whole other debate.

 

[pghrob]

Again, Wilson's claim that HGH was to be used for his diabetes is SKETCHY AT BEST. Most studies not only show that HGH doesn't help impotence but it actually makes the symptoms of Diabetes WORSE.Richard Rydze from the Steelers was wrapped up in this whole thing two, and despite his initial claims that the HGH had nothing to do with his role as team doctor, he ws FIRED in June.If I were Wilson, I'd keep my mouth shut about this whole thing.

But the Cowboys didn't get an in game advantage from Wilson using HGH.

You're assuming that Wilson was purchasing HGH for himself. Just like some people are buying the notion that Dr. Rydze was buying HGH for his elderly patients....with his own credit card.

Has Goodell been able to prove that he did not purchase it for himself? Sans evidence that he was distributing it, why no warning and a fine? The punishment WW got appears to be a much stiffer penalty in relation to the offense than that of BB and his offense. Which offense, WW using HGH or BB having an unfair competitive advantage for his team is more damaging to the league. In consideration of the facts known to date (of which the punishments should be based), I would say BB hurt the league much worse than WW.

 

[Skinsfansince72]

Goodell seems like a mob boss to me, making all these decisions without a firm set of rules in place. Where does he come up with all these decisions from? His ###?Dictator.

Suspending players is one thing. It allows him to pretend he's "doing something" to clean up the league. The reality is that none of the guys he's suspended did anything that comes close to harming the league. They've harmed themselves by getting busted. The league is stronger than ever(not thanks to the commish). It's interesting that when he has a chance to suspend a guy who has done the league harm(in the pr dept if nowhere else) he sits on his hands.

 

[1huskerfan]

Again, Wilson's claim that HGH was to be used for his diabetes is SKETCHY AT BEST. Most studies not only show that HGH doesn't help impotence but it actually makes the symptoms of Diabetes WORSE.Richard Rydze from the Steelers was wrapped up in this whole thing two, and despite his initial claims that the HGH had nothing to do with his role as team doctor, he ws FIRED in June.If I were Wilson, I'd keep my mouth shut about this whole thing.

But the Cowboys didn't get an in game advantage from Wilson using HGH.

You're assuming that Wilson was purchasing HGH for himself. Just like some people are buying the notion that Dr. Rydze was buying HGH for his elderly patients....with his own credit card.

Has Goodell been able to prove that he did not purchase it for himself? Sans evidence that he was distributing it, why no warning and a fine? The punishment WW got appears to be a much stiffer penalty in relation to the offense than that of BB and his offense. Which offense, WW using HGH or BB having an unfair competitive advantage for his team is more damaging to the league. In consideration of the facts known to date (of which the punishments should be based), I would say BB hurt the league much worse than WW.

Everyone is making it seem like the 'unfair advantage' was comparable to having 12 men on the field. It did nothing more than give them an advantage in preparation.

 

[thecatch]

Again, Wilson's claim that HGH was to be used for his diabetes is SKETCHY AT BEST. Most studies not only show that HGH doesn't help impotence but it actually makes the symptoms of Diabetes WORSE.Richard Rydze from the Steelers was wrapped up in this whole thing two, and despite his initial claims that the HGH had nothing to do with his role as team doctor, he ws FIRED in June.If I were Wilson, I'd keep my mouth shut about this whole thing.

But the Cowboys didn't get an in game advantage from Wilson using HGH.

But you can say the same thing about ANY of the player suspensions. No team got an advantage by a player taking drugs, running a dogfighting ring, or getting arrested. They are not apples to apples, even though for some reason people want to treat them as such. Videotaping falls under a team category and the rules are a lot murkier in terms of what happens when teams are involved.And by now, there have been so many people suggesting that what the Pats did, while against the rules, was only slightly more beyond what (allegedly) other teams are doing. Sure, it's an advantage, but it's not like the Pats had 16 guys on offense playing against 4 guys on defense.And to be clear again, I'm not making excuses for the Pats. They broke the rules and deserve their punishment. The punishment was handed down and they need to move on.

It's not apples to apples, but surely maintaining competitive balance on the field is (or at least should be) of greater importance to the NFL as an organization than slapping someone on the risk for moral misconduct.For example, Pacman may have been suspended for the year, but I can guarantee you that he would never play in the league again if it came out he was betting on games. The NFL's first priority should be to protect the integrity of the game

 

[pghrob]

Again, Wilson's claim that HGH was to be used for his diabetes is SKETCHY AT BEST. Most studies not only show that HGH doesn't help impotence but it actually makes the symptoms of Diabetes WORSE.Richard Rydze from the Steelers was wrapped up in this whole thing two, and despite his initial claims that the HGH had nothing to do with his role as team doctor, he ws FIRED in June.If I were Wilson, I'd keep my mouth shut about this whole thing.

But the Cowboys didn't get an in game advantage from Wilson using HGH.

You're assuming that Wilson was purchasing HGH for himself. Just like some people are buying the notion that Dr. Rydze was buying HGH for his elderly patients....with his own credit card.

Has Goodell been able to prove that he did not purchase it for himself? Sans evidence that he was distributing it, why no warning and a fine? The punishment WW got appears to be a much stiffer penalty in relation to the offense than that of BB and his offense. Which offense, WW using HGH or BB having an unfair competitive advantage for his team is more damaging to the league. In consideration of the facts known to date (of which the punishments should be based), I would say BB hurt the league much worse than WW.

Everyone is making it seem like the 'unfair advantage' was comparable to having 12 men on the field. It did nothing more than give them an advantage in preparation.

If I as an offense can anticipate where you as a defense are going to be coming from without you knowing it, how can I not have an advantage? I can now audiblize and run plays, routes, and other schemes and packages in a way that allows me the opportunity to exploit you because I know your plan for attacking me and can defend against it with an offensive plan to exploit weakenesses inherant in your defensive scheme. Yes you still have to execute and play, but I can't downplay the siginifcant advantage of knowing how to attack a defense because you know what they are doing to attack you.

 

[SundaySchooler]

wow i didn't know all the details of the Wade Wilson suspension but after reading it, i have no choice but to agree completely with him.

having HGH is no laughing matter, but he's not the one on the field. the only reason he should keep his mouth shut is if he indeed did distribute some of it to players. him coming out and leaving himself open to criticism like this publicly is proof to me that he DID NOT distribute. therefore i believe him when he says he used it for medical purposes.

this whole thing stinks. Goodell should have suspended Belichick, even without any precedent for it. there is no precedent for this type of thing happening so there's no reason to think that they "should" act a certain way. Goodell is too close to Kraft and therefore Belichick...it smacks of favoritism any way you look at it.

 

[Whizzinator]

The league has a consistent HGH policy across all employees. You can't really argue for a reduction for Wilson unless you want to do so for all the other league employees nailed for PEDs.

The reason he has an illegal substance is of no more relevance than the question of whether the Pats actually gained an advantage from having the cameras. The reason is, the rule is what it is and if you violate it you get the penalty which others who do similar things have gotten.

For PEDs that's a suspension of 4 games, and an additional game for being in a position of authority.

For team-level misconduct, it's a loss of draft picks and a fine. Which is what all the teams who played sal cap games were penalized.

I just don't see that there's much comparison between these things.

 

[cartel]

It is inconsistent. I would be pissed if I was Wade too.

Inconsistent how? They broke different rules.

They are different rules....and BB broke the more serious rule. His transgression was much more serious than WW's.

I wouldn't say that. Performance enhancing drugs or signal stealing. Which one is worse?

Seriously? A drug that may be used as a performance enhancing but in this case is used to improve a diabetics life should be punished harsher then outright cheating.

 

[pghrob]

The league has a consistent HGH policy across all employees. You can't really argue for a reduction for Wilson unless you want to do so for all the other league employees nailed for PEDs. The reason he has an illegal substance is of no more relevance than the question of whether the Pats actually gained an advantage from having the cameras. The reason is, the rule is what it is and if you violate it you get the penalty which others who do similar things have gotten.For PEDs that's a suspension of 4 games, and an additional game for being in a position of authority.For team-level misconduct, it's a loss of draft picks and a fine. Which is what all the teams who played sal cap games were penalized.I just don't see that there's much comparison between these things.

If you don't reduce WW's punishment, you increase the severity of BB's.....by imposing a suspension.