According to multiple reports that emerged early Tuesday morning, the Browns will meet with Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson on Tuesday. Prosecutors failed to secure an indictment against Watson at his grand jury hearing last Friday. One of the more critical aspects of trading for Watson, beyond the obvious, is a likely suspension from the NFL.
Along with the Browns meeting, Watson also has a key deposition in his civil lawsuit where he is expected to answer questions without invoking his fifth amendment right to not self-incriminate for the first time now that criminal charges won’t be filed.
The NFL pledged to stay out of the way of any criminal investigation, but with that process completed, the NFL can begin to work towards a decision about his suspension. What he says in coming depositions could certainly affect the NFL’s decision. Watson will meet with NFL investigators as a part of their inquiry.
According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, some teams believe Watson will presumably face a six-game suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, which can be handed down to players in instances of alleged assault and does not require a legal verdict of guilt. The NFL can use their own discretion to add or subtract from that suspension pending the results of their investigation.
In 2010, the NFL suspended Ben Roethlisberger for six games following an accusation of sexual assault. Like Watson’s case, charges were not brought against Roethlisberger. His case involved one accusation, Watson’s currently involves 22.
It is certain that teams interested in trading for Watson are working their contacts around the league to unearth as much information on his potential suspension as possible. Any team that trades for him will have to have a plan in place for the first half of the season as well as giving up as much as five high-level assets.