NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that the league wanted Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson to face harsher punishment for his alleged sexual misconduct.
Goodell called Watson’s alleged sexual misconduct “egregious” and “predatory behavior”. He maintained that Watson should be suspended for at least one year.
Roger Goodell is expected to address NFL owners today on tampering and tanking issues in the aftermath of the Dolphins penalties. Goodell is expected to issue a stern warning to the owners to avoid such competitive violations, as @ProFootballTalk previously has reported.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) August 9, 2022
Watson’s alleged sexual misconduct
Earlier, former federal judge Sue L. Robinson issued a six-game suspension for the 26-year-old Watson. The NFL has since appealed against the decision in pursuit of a full-season suspension at the very least.
While playing for the Houston Texans between 2019 and 2021, Robinson ruled that Watson had violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He was accused of sexually harassing and assaulting several female massage therapists in the Houston area.
He going give a stern warning this HIS bosses… Such a farce https://t.co/eoBbHYTvp0
— Butch West Jr KAΨ/G (@KoachButch) August 9, 2022
Based on court documents, Watson was accused of forcing two women to engage in oral sex with him, ejaculating on three women, and forcing another to kiss him. Additionally, 18 women claimed that Watson touched them with his penis. Watson denied all charges.
“I’ve never assaulted, I never disrespected, and I never harassed any woman in my life. I don’t have any regrets,” he said.
Robinson waited slightly over a month before making a decision in Watson’s initial disciplinary hearing. There were 24 civil actions filed against Watson, 23 of which were settled confidentially. Two grand juries in Texas decided against indicting Watson.
Robinson wrote that Watson engaged in “sexual assault; conduct that poses a genuine danger to the safety and well-being of another person; and conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL”.
They won't do anything about tampering (except when the proof falls in their laps) and they can't do anything about tanking (even when the proof falls in their laps). https://t.co/kzmF6xX9HY
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 9, 2022
However, she also said she was “bound ‘by standards of fairness and consistency of treatment among players with similar situations.
“While it may be entirely appropriate to more severely discipline players for nonviolent sexual conduct, I do not believe it is appropriate to do so without notice of the extraordinary change this position portends for the NFL and its players,” she said.
She then decided to punish Watson with a six-game suspension despite the NFL seeking a yearlong ban.
Pursuing yearlong suspension
Following the ratification of the collective bargaining agreement in 2020, the NFL submitted a written appeal last week. The NFL Players Association has since filed its response to the appeal.
“We’ve seen the evidence, she was very clear about the evidence, she reinforced the evidence. There were multiple violations that were egregious, and it was predatory behavior,” Goodell said when asked why the league pursued a harsher punishment.
“Those are things that we always felt were really important for us to address in a way that’s responsible,” Goodell added.
Fans took to social media to criticize the six-game ban ruling, labeling it a joke. They argued that the punishment was inadequate compared to the alleged misconduct.
https://twitter.com/FalcoholicMatt/status/1557039664388866055
The NFL and NFLPA will soon be notified of the outcome of the league’s appeal. Goodell had the option to hear the appeal himself or appoint a different arbitrator per Article 46 of the CBA.
Goodell has chosen Peter C. Harvey, a former New Jersey attorney general, to serve as his designee.