NFL disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson suspended Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for six games without pay, the league confirmed on Monday. The punishment is being decided after 24 women accused Watson of sexual misconduct, glowing civil lawsuits and putting the star quarterback on the sidelines in 2021. However, Watson settled 20 of the cases against him in June.
The six-game Deshaun Watson’s suspension is “the most significant punishment ever imposed on an NFL player for allegations of non-violent sexual conduct,” Robinson said in her decision, adding that “Mr Watson’s pattern of conduct is outstandingly bad than anyone before reviewed by the NFL.”
Robinson also found him responsible for “multiple violations of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told to media.
A former U.S. district judge Robinson noted that the NFL suggested Watson be suspended for at least the 2022 season. It was her decision as she was “bound ‘by standards of fairness and consistency of treatment among players similarly situated’ ” in her decision.
Robinson sided with the NFL in determining Watson violated three provisions of the personal conduct
· Policy of sexual assault;
· Posing a real danger to the safety of another person; and
· Destabilizes or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL.
The retired federal judge also rejected Watson’s denials of wrongdoing and considered his “lack of conveyed repentance” to be an exasperating factor. Watson had requested a trade out of Houston in January of 2021 before the allegations of sexual misconduct against him first surfaced.
Stay tuned for more updates!