We all knew it was coming. From the moment the accusations began rolling in against Deshaun Watson — from the first rumblings from his lawyer that the Pro Bowl quarterback was being extorted to the 24 allegations of years-long predatory behavior and sexual misconduct that followed — we knew the NFL’s disciplinary process would mess this up.
The league that suspended Ray Rice two games after striking his fiancee (later pushed to an indefinite suspension after damning video of the incident went public though that decision was later vacated on appeal) has strived to do better with the message it sends both to its players and fans at large. So when independent arbitrator and retired federal judge Sue Robinson ruled Watson’s suspension would last six games — roughly in line with the guidelines of the league’s personal conduct policy — commissioner Roger Goodell appealed.
This was a move to correct a wrong and tell the rest of the world the NFL wouldn’t be a safe haven to predators. Robinson, called in to handle the league’s dirty work, failed by adhering to the precedent the league had created. Goodell would step in, take the bundles of evidence both he and the former judge called “egregious,” and ask another independent arbiter to take another look at the case.
Before that could happen, both sides decided there was a punishment they could live with: 11 games and a $5 million fine on top of the lost game checks (which works out to $632,500 thanks to the Browns’ willingness to slash his base salary in 2022 to insulate him from suspension). Watson will return to the league just in time for a showdown with his former team, the Houston Texans, in Week 13.
He will sit out less than one half of each game per accuser. He’ll miss at least six games fewer than Calvin Ridley, who the league suspended indefinitely, but for at least one full season, for placing parlays on NFL games last fall. He’ll be suspended five fewer games than officials originally gave Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma for his participation in New Orleans’ Bountygate scandal.
Disciplinary process: messed.
Reports around the NFL’s main offices suggested the league was pushing for a full season of discipline. Instead, Watson will be back in December for a team that could be making a playoff rally. His return comes late enough in the season that it could be flexed out of its 1 p.m. kickoff and into primetime. We’ll see if Goodell is brazen enough to pull it off.
The $5 million fine is a number that looks massive at first glance but pales in comparison to the net worth Watson has built playing in the league. The Browns — the team who’d given up three first round picks to acquire a QB facing two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct — made sure their new star didn’t have to worry about any of that. His five year, $230 million contract in Cleveland is the largest fully guaranteed contract in league history.
Assuming he doesn’t sign a lucrative extension midway through the deal (he probably will), his average annual salary through 2026 will be $46 million. $5 million is less than 11 percent of that. If he were making $60,000 per year, that math works out to a $6,500 penalty.
Watson isn’t being called to account for years of behavior league investigations found predatory. He’s getting off lightly after showing zero responsibility or remorse until the day of his Browns preseason debut. As soon as the settlement went public, he showed us all how little he’s learned from the ordeal.
Deshaun Watson tells reporters he will “continue to stand on my innocence.” Said he never assaulted or disrespected anyone.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) August 18, 2022
Watson and his legal team spent the past 10 months effectively daring the league to do something. The NFL, hamstrung by its own policies in a situation it had years to prepare for, put up a tough facade. It hoped independent arbiters could be the bad guy it didn’t want to be.
When that clearly failed — again, because the precedent in the league is so lousy you effectively have to kill someone (or bet on games) to earn anything more than a lock-solid six game absence — Goodell offered a compromise. It allowed both sides to feign accountability without lasting consequences.
Statement from #Browns ownership and Deshaun Watson: pic.twitter.com/WZGQNcP8ui
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) August 18, 2022
It’s disappointing but not surprising. Watson gets to return in 2022 despite the league’s own admission his behavior was “egregious” and “predatory.” He loses a little bit of the $230 million contract he just signed and considerably less in game checks. He gets the chance to return in time for a playoff push and the opportunity to play hero in his fresh start with Cleveland.
The NFL gets to say it did as much as it could to punish him. Which only checks out in the uneven parameters of league discipline. Deshaun Watson will miss most of the 2022 season. It’s still not enough.