Qb Deshaun Watson Has Been Suspended For 11 Games By The Browns
As per a league statement, the NFL and its player’s union have reached a settlement agreement about Deshaun Watson’s punishment for alleged sexual misconduct, which includes an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine.
The Browns quarterback will also undergo counseling as part of the program.
Sue L. Robinson’s six-game suspension had been appealed by the league.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports that while Watson’s camp and the NFL were engaged in settlement discussions, former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, Goodell’s designee, was working to determine his own decision, according to the report.
As Goodell points out in his remarks in the press conference, Watson dealt with the complaint at the end of the team’s first preseason game, at Jacksonville, after he was called to the bench for egregious behavior and for being “predatory.”
Qb Deshaun Watson Has Been Suspended For 11 Games By The Browns
For the first time since he was released, Watson is slated to return to regular-season action on Dec. 4 when he faces his former team, the Texans, in Houston for the first time since he was released.
Watson’s agreement comes on the heels of a previous report by the Associated Press, which claimed that Watson would be willing to serve an eight-game suspension and pay a $5 million fine in order to avoid a suspension.
Watson was the subject of an investigation into allegations of s**ual harassment and s**ual assault that lasted over a year.
Watson has been accused of s**ual misconduct by more than two dozen women during massage therapy sessions.
Among the allegations is Watson refusing to cover his genitals and attempting to force the plaintiff to perform or*al s*x on him after touching her with his pe…
There were 25 women who filed lawsuits against Watson in March 2021. One of the plaintiffs dropped her case due to privacy concerns, but the other two dozen cases remained active until June ’22, when 20 settlements were reached between the parties.
According to reports, Watson had settled three of the remaining four lawsuits prior to the Aug. 1 ruling.
There have been two Texas grand juries that have declined to indict Watson on any criminal charges this spring. Watson has denied any wrongdoing on his part.
During Cleveland’s preseason game against Jacksonville, he apologized publicly for the first time without admitting to any specific offenses in his apology before the game.
Watson was traded to the Houston Texans in March for three first-round draft picks, and he was then signed to a five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns.
Apparently, the earnings under the pact were backloaded in order to minimize Watson’s financial damage as a result of the suspension.
Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.