In his first comments to the media after the NFL’s decision to appeal the proposed six-game suspension for quarterback Deshaun Watson, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell outlined why the league is still seeking a one-year suspension, calling Watson’s behavior “egregious” and “predatory.”
Goodell’s comments came as NFL owners were meeting to ratify the sale of the Denver Broncos to the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group. Commissioner Goodell stated that the league is seeking the one-year suspension on the basis that “there were multiple violations here, and they were egregious and it was predatory behavior:”
Quotes from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the decision to appeal Watson suspension: pic.twitter.com/73ZcKRvfym
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) August 9, 2022
Commissioner Goodell also noted that retired federal judge Sue L. Robinson was “very clear about the evidence,” and also noted that the league views Watson’s situation as four distinct violations of the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.
When the NFL appealed the decision from Judge Robinson to Commissioner Goodell, he designed former New Jersey Attorney Peter C. Harvey to decide the matter.