Browns’ Deshaun Watson received an 11-game ban and a $5 million fine from the NFL.
Browns’ Deshaun Watson received an 11-game ban
Deshaun Watson will receive an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine after the NFL and NFL Players Association struck an agreement on Thursday.
After Watson, who still maintains his innocence, was accused of sexual misbehaviour by more than two dozen massage therapists, a months-long legal dispute between the two parties over the Browns quarterback’s punishment came to a conclusion with the settlement.
Watson will be able to participate in the Browns’ Week 13 game against his previous team, the Texans, even though the NFL reportedly requested a full-season suspension.
Despite the fact that two Texas grand juries decided not to indict Watson on criminal accusations, he has resolved 24 of the 25 civil cases he was subjected to, in which the plaintiffs’ clients claimed that Watson engaged in lewd behaviour and advances during massage sessions.
Although Watson has not been charged legally, the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy warns that avoiding a conviction is insufficient.
We must all act responsibly, in a way that upholds the NFL’s ideals, and in a way that is legal since we are all held to a higher standard.
That made it possible for the league to impose its own penalty.
Sue Robinson, a former federal judge, was first chosen by Commissioner Roger Goodell to decide the disciplinary case, but the NFL challenged her decision to impose a six-game suspension.
According to Robinson’s conclusion that Watson’s actions were “egregious” and “predatory,” the NFL thought the six-game suspension was too lenient.
Browns’ Deshaun Watson received an 11-game ban
Watson would have only lost about $345,000 due to the structure of his five-year, $230 million contract, which he signed after Cleveland acquired him from Houston.
After that, Peter C. Harvey, a former attorney general of New Jersey, was chosen by Goodell to supervise the league’s formal appeal, which led to the settlement.
The women who sued Watson were represented by Tony Buzbee, who said in a statement, “The message today to all victims is clear:
If you believe you have been sexually assaulted by a prominent person, keep your voice quiet and go away.” “The NFL has definitely shown that the organisation and its ownership don’t care.”
Browns’ Deshaun Watson received an 11-game ban and a $5 million fine from the NFL.
