Tag: Deshaun Watson suspension

Deshaun Watson maintains innocence, claims he settled because people were ‘triggered’

Once the NFL and NFLPA agreed on Deshaun Watson’s punishment, Watson came out and threw his “remorse” right out the window.

We have heard various levels of remorse from Deshaun Watson during the entire process that began with his multiple alleged sexual assaults against massage therapists when Watson was a member of the Houston Texans. Watson was able to dial up that remorse as the settlement process between the NFL and NFLPA went on to its ultimate conclusion — that Watson would be suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season, fined $5 million, and required to undergo mandatory counseling.

Why was Deshaun Watson’s suspension only 11 games?

Right after this was all announced on Thursday morning, Watson held a press conference, and appeared to reveal his true colors on the entire mess.

This is an utterly reprehensible statement for Watson to make, and it reinforces that he got off light. The NFL had originally wanted to suspend Watson for the entire 2022 season, fine him a higher amount, and make his 2023 reinstatement conditional on counseling.

If this is what Watson really believes — that he had to settle because a lot of people were “triggered…”

We’ll just have to hope that this is the end of whatever misdeeds Watson has done in his NFL career.

By the way, on August 1, after former federal judge Sue L. Robinson originally ruled that Watson should serve a six-game suspension, the Haslams released this statement:

“Throughout this process, Deshaun and his representatives have abided by the newly created and agreed upon process for the NFLPA and the NFL to defer to the objective Judge Sue L. Robinson to comprehensively review all information and make a fair decision,” the Haslam’s said. “We respect Judge Robinson’s decision, and at the same time, empathize and understand that there have been many individuals triggered throughout this process. We know Deshaun is remorseful that this situation has caused much heartache to many and he will continue the work needed to show who he is on and off the field, and we will continue to support him.”

Apparently, that word is doing a lot of work in the Browns organization these days.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson suspended 11 games; returns against the Texans

Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson has been suspended 11 games, and his first game back is Week 13 at the Houston Texans.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s suspension was increased from six games to 11 games Thursday.

According to Aaron Wilson from the Pro Football Network, the suspension is the result of a negotiation between the NFL and the NFLPA regarding a personal conduct policy matter. Watson will pay a $5 million fine and also be subject to mandatory counseling as part of the settlement.

With Watson getting 11 games, that means that his first NFL game since Jan. 3, 2021, will be in the same venue: NRG Stadium. Watson’s first game back is Week 13 at the Houston Texans.

Watson originally was suspended six games at the beginning of August surrounding multiple lawsuits from women who allege he committed sexual assault.

The former 2017 first-round pick from Clemson was the solution to the Texans’ quarterback woes. However, the three-time Pro Bowler became disgruntled with the direction of the franchise following the hiring of general manager Nick Caserio and coach David Culley in January 2021.

The sexual assault allegations began in March 2021 on the eve of free agency and the new league year. The Texans rostered Watson on their 53-man squad for the entire 2021 season; the 2020 NFL passing champion was not placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, and part of the Texans’ salary cap went towards Watson’s contract.

Houston traded Watson to the Browns on March 18, 2022, and received a hefty compensation package that included a first-round pick through the 2024 NFL draft.

Caserio told reporters on March 19 that teams were interested in Watson and they had to determine the market as the quarterback also had a no-trade clause in his contract.

“I think there was a certain threshold that I had established in order to make it a legitimate discussion, and if we got to that point then we could engage further,” Caserio said. “I don’t want to get into the exact number, but there was a few more, however many teams than what everybody was reporting towards the end.”

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Browns QB Deshaun Watson agrees to 11-Game Suspension, $5M fine ahead of joint practices vs. Eagles

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson agrees to 11-Game Suspension, $5M fine ahead of joint practices with Eagles

The Eagles are in Berea, Ohio, for joint practices with the Browns, and it’ll be a media frenzy after news broke that Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson agreed to an 11-game suspension and $5 million fine.

With Browns officials now knowing Watson’s exact fate, Philadelphia will likely see more of backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett during joint practices with the team working on getting him prepared for the season opener.

Watson was initially given a six-game suspension by former U.S. District Court Judge Sue Robinson after the NFLPA and the NFL appointed her as the arbitrator for the disciplinary hearing in June.

The league appealed the former judge’s ruling on Aug. 3, and the NFL appointed former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to hear the appeal.

The original 6-game suspension would have kept Watson out of the lineup until the Browns matchup against the Ravens in Week 7.

Now, Watson will return in Week 13 for a road matchup against his former team, the Houston Texans.

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Deshaun Watson expected to start for Browns vs. Jaguars on Friday

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, suspended for the first six games of the regular season, is expected to start against the Jaguars on Friday.

For better or worse, the Cleveland Browns will get their first look at what Deshaun Watson can do against somebody else’s defense on Friday against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Cleveland’s preseason opener. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network was one of many reporters to break this story on Wednesday.

“I do,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Tuesday, when asked if there was already a plan in place for Cleveland’s preseason opener. “I have not shared that with the team yet, so I will wait on announcing that. We have a framework for how we are going to handle this preseason. As you know, you always reserve the right to change your mind based on how practice goes and those type of things, but we are pretty confident in the plan we have.”

Stefanski also said then that Watson would make the trip to Jacksonville, and now we know why.

Watson has already been suspended for the first six games of the regular season due to his multiple alleged sexual assaults, and the NFL has appealed what it believes to be a relatively light suspension handed down by independent arbiter and former federal judge Sue L. Robinson. The NFL originally wanted Watson suspended for the entire 2022 season, with a 2023 reinstatement based on Watson’s behavior, and we don’t yet know what that will look like.

During recent owners meetings to approve new ownership for the Denver Broncos, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was as pointed as he has been regarding his thoughts on the situation. Goodell referred to Watson’s behavior as “predatory.”

Preseason games don’t always count with suspensions. The NFL would have to put forth a separate complaint for Watson to be suspended for the Jacksonville game, and/or for the Browns’ other two preseason games — against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, August 21, and against the Chicago Bears on Saturday, August 27. Or, a new suspension upon appeal, which specifically would prohibit Watson from engaging in any team-related activities, would have to come down before Friday’s game.

Why Stephen Ross’ suspension is one day longer than Deshaun Watson’s

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’ suspension is one day longer than Deshaun Watson’s. Here’s why that isn’t an accident, and what it means.

Well, it’s been a busy week for the NFL, and we haven’t even gotten to Thursday’s Hall of Fame game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders. On Monday, former federal judge Sue L. Robinson levied a six-game suspension against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson related to multiple accusations of sexual assault. The decision satisfied almost nobody for all kinds of reasons (we were especially gobsmaeked by Judge Robinson’s definition of “non-violent sexual conduct), but that’s something the NFL can appeal if it so chooses.

A little more than 24 hours later, the six-month investigation into the Miami Dolphins’ alleged tampering with both Tom Brady and Sean Payton, and whether Dolphins owner Stephen Ross exhorted his then-head coach Brian Flores to intentionally lose games for more favorable draft picks, came to a conclusion.

Former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White and, a team of lawyers from the Debevoise law firm, deduced that the team indeed had impermissible contact with both Brady and Payton, through there was no reported proof of any “tanking.” The investigation did not go into Flores’ accusations of racist hiring practices, most likely because Flores’ lawsuit is still live.

In any event, the Dolphins didn’t just lose their 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-round pick in the fallout. Ross was also suspended until October 17, 2022. Per the league, Ross “may not be present at the Dolphins’ facility and may not represent the club at any team or NFL event. He may not attend any League meeting prior to the Annual Meeting in 2023, is removed from all League committees indefinitely, and fined $1.5 million.”

What’s interesting about the timing of these two suspensions is that Ross’ is exactly one day longer than Watson’s. Watson’s six-game suspension closes after the Browns play the New England Patriots (oh, sweet scandal irony) on Sunday, October, 16.

The NFL may get a lot of things wrong, but it rarely does things without a point. In this case, it could be that punishing Ross in this specific manner, and making note of the “unprecedented scope” of the tampering, sets the league up to go after a longer suspension of Watson on appeal, due to the unprecedented number of Watson’s alleged violations against the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. In her ruling, Judge Robinson spoke quite a bit to precedent, and more specifically, to “standards of fairness and consistency of treatment among players similarly situated.”

Thus, the six-game suspension, when the sheer number of Watson’s alleged violations would seem to engender a much more severe punishment. We know that the NFL wanted Watson suspended for at least the entire 2022 season, with conditions to his reinstatement in 2023. In settlement talks with the NFLPA, the league was willing to go as low as 12 games.

In the end, Watson’s representatives chose to bet on the ruling of an independent arbiter, and at first glance, they bet right. But the Ross suspension could well lead to the NFL’s right and ability to step into legal definitions of “unprecedented” that could lead to a much longer Watson suspension.

Stay tuned to see what comes of that. In the meantime, it’s been a week, NFL — and it’s only Tuesday.

Fantasy football reaction: Deshaun Watson suspended 6 games

Watson’s ban clears up his fantasy football worth.

Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers, and New England Patriots … Judge Sue Robinson has made her ruling, and those are the teams Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will not face in 2022 after a six-game suspension was handed down.

The NFL could file an appeal over the next three days, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. If not, this is quite possibly the best-case scenario for fantasy football purposes.

Watson’s remaining schedule includes a return to the field at the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7 and return home to face the Cincinnati Bengals prior to a Week 9 bye. The second half of his schedule is slightly easier than the six games he’ll miss, but that’s not to say it’s a walk in the park with matchups against Miami, Buffalo and Tampa from Weeks 10-12, respectively, including the first two on the road. He then has trips to Houston and Cincy, followed by consecutive home stands against Baltimore and New Orleans, ending with a pair of road games vs. Washington and Pittsburgh.

Fantasy football takeaway

Between a suspect receiving corps, an unproven tight end, and a difficult slate of matchups, Watson shouldn’t be drafted as more than a fringe starter. The talent level will keep him afloat with moderate matchups, but he’s not a slam dunk against the likes of Miami, Buffalo, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Secure a strong QB1 who can get you through the first six weeks and view Watson as a component of a strong roster build rather than the centerpiece. After all, you’re probably not going to make the postseason with a poor start during his absence.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson to miss Week 5 vs. Chargers

Browns QB Deshaun Watson will miss the first six games of the 2022 regular season.

According to multiple sources, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will be suspended for six games of the 2022 regular season for the allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

Therefore, Watson will be unavailable for the Week 5 matchup against the Chargers. For the time being, the starting quarterback for Cleveland will be Jacoby Brissett, who was acquired this offseason.

Brissett started two seasons for the Colts. The first was in 2017 when Andrew Luck missed the year with shoulder surgery, and in 2019 after Luck retired. Brissett also started five games last year for the Dolphins when Tua Tagovailoa missed time with a rib injury.

In 37 starts, Brissett has compiled 7,742 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a completion percentage of 60.2. He has a 28-32 record in his career.

Deshaun Watson’s suspension betrays a misunderstanding of sexual violence

Deshaun Watson’s six-game suspension happened in part because of a misunderstanding of what sexual violence is.

On Monday morning, retired federal judge Sue L. Robinson handed down the initial suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. The six-game suspension, given the sheer number of women who have claimed that Watson engaged in unwanted sexual advances against them, will make nobody who believes that the NFL doesn’t care about violence against women feel any better about the entire situation.

It is important to note that Robinson’s ruling is not the NFL’s ruling. Robinson was jointly hired by the NFL and the NFLPA to administer punishment in this case. She had spent three days in June listening to testimony from the NFL, the NFLPA, and Watson’s legal team in June, in her home state of Delaware. The NFL had reportedly been pushing for a stronger suspension all along, and the league can appeal Robinson’s ruling. In settlement talks, the NFL had offered a 12-game suspension and a fine of at least $8 million. Had Robinson ruled that Watson committed no violation, the league could not have appealed it. The process would have been over.

Legal optimists might say that Robinson basically put this back in the NFL’s hands to make such an appeal. Others may say, and with great justification, that Robinson completely misread the nature of Watson’s alleged violations.

Our Touchdown Wire colleague Laurie Fitzpatrick put it about as tactfully as it can be put.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, “Sexual violence means that someone forces or manipulates someone else into unwanted sexual activity without their consent. Reasons someone might not consent include fear, age, illness, disability, and/or influence of alcohol or other drugs. Anyone can experience sexual violence including: children, teens, adults, and elders. Those who sexually abuse can be acquaintances, family members, trusted individuals or strangers.”

The NSVRC also points out that sexual violence can include unwanted sexual contact/touching, showing one’s genitals or naked body to other(s) without consent, and masturbating in public.

According to a recent report from the New York Times’ Jenny Vrentas, Watson did all of those things on multiple occasions. At least one woman withdrew her complaint against Watson, per Vrentas, because of “privacy and security concerns.

Again per the NSVRC, there are many reasons why victims may choose not to report to law enforcement or tell anyone about what happened to him/her. Some include:

  • Concern for not being believed
  • Fear of the attackers getting back at him/her
  • Embarrassment or shame
  • Fear of being blamed
  • Pressure from others not to tell
  • Distrust of law enforcement
  • Belief that there is not enough evidence
  • Desire to protect the attacker

The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center issued a statement.

If Robinson believed that what Watson did was non-violent, perhaps she should have looked more specifically into the actual definitions of sexual violence. Sadly, it seems that she did not.

How Baker Mayfield can be a top-tier quarterback — in the right offense

Baker Mayfield will have another NFL team in 2022 and beyond. Here’s how that team can turn Mayfield back into the top-tier quarterback he was in 2020.

In 2022, the Cleveland Browns went all-in on a bet that could hamper the franchise for a good long time. When they traded first-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as the 104th overall pick in 2022, a third-round pick in 2023, and a fourth-pick in 2024 for a 2024 sixth-round pick and former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson… well, it’s a franchise-defining move, but what that means, we have no idea. Watson’s NFL disciplinary hearing in the wake of a torrent of sexual assault lawsuits (many of which have been settled) happens this upcoming Tuesday, and word is that the league will be aiming for a suspension that lasts at least the entire 2022 season, if not indefinitely.

So, that’s a lot for a guy who will play for you… who knows when. In the interim, the Browns have completely alienated Baker Mayfield, the quarterback they selected with the first overall pick in the 2028 draft out of Oklahoma. The likelihood of Mayfield playing for the Browns in 2022 and beyond is somewhere between null and void; should Watson be out of the equation, backup Jacoby Brissett is the likely starter. The Browns have not traded Mayfield yet. The hangup there seems to be the amount of salary the trading team would be willing to take on. Mayfield is set to make a guaranteed $18.858 million in 2022, the final year of his rookie contract, and he’ll obviously want a new contract in his new home. The Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks have been tagged as the most likely destinations.

Setting aside the mess the Browns have put themselves in with Watson and his new, fully-guaranteed, $230 million contract that goes through the 2026 season, there’s the specific issue of Mayfield’s future as a starting quarterback, and where he fits best. After two NFL seasons in which he showed some promise and a lot of exasperating plays, Mayfield enjoyed a watershed season in 2020 — including the postseason, he completed 349 of 557 passes for 4,030 yards, 2,376 air yards, 30 touchdowns, nine interceptions, an ANY/A of 6.9, a passer rating of 95.7. an EPA of 49.17, and a Positive Play Rate of 49.0%. This put him in at least the top half of the NFL’s starting quarterbacks in every category, though he was in an offense that didn’t always play to his strengths.

The follow-up season, which got the Browns headed down that fractious Watson path, was not nearly as productive. Mayfield worked through a ton of injuries and more dysfunction in the passing game, completing 253 of 418 passes for 3,010 yards, 1,571 air yards, 17 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, an ANY/A of 5.4, a passer rating of 83.1, an EPA of -59.03, and a Positive Play Rate of 43.2. Mayfield had gone from top-half to bottom-third in one season, and though it wasn’t all his fault (given the injuries, it wasn’t mostly his fault), but we are left with the realities of things.

So, with that in mind, and with the goal to give an honest picture of what Mayfield can offer another team, we’re going to look far more at Mayfield’s 2020 season, assume his 2021 was a negative outlier based on injury, and project things forward from there.

How can a new NFL team help Baker Mayfield become the best possible version of himself? We have a few thoughts.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

Setting fantasy football expectations for Cleveland Browns receivers

Just what should we expect from the new-look Cleveland receiving corps?

Let’s begin with the elephant in the room: Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen with new Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in terms of discipline. There are rumors that the league wants a “significant” suspension, perhaps the entirety of the 2022 season, amid the two dozen civil suits filed against Watson (20 of which were recently settled). Again, though, that’s a rumor, and even once a suspension is handed down there could still be an appellate process to navigate. It’s a mess.

Making things even messier is the team has alienated former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield to the point that he’s unlikely to ever suit up for the Browns again. In that scenario, a Watson suspension would lead to journeyman Jacoby Brissett getting the nod. Brissett is a prototypical game manager, and his insertion into the lineup would dampen the outlook for Cleveland’s passing attack.

The lone silver lining is it sounds as though the NFL would like to have the Watson situation resolved in its entirety before camp opens July 27, so hopefully we’ll get clarity soon.

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