It was announced Monday that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson would be suspended for six games after two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct during massage treatments.
The sanction, handed down by disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson, did not meet the expectations of what the NFL sought: a one-year suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The NFL has three days to appeal.
According to Robinson, Watson’s “pattern of behavior was egregious”, but it involved “nonviolent sexual conduct”, therefore he was not charged with any crimes.
“Although this is the most significant punishment ever imposed on an NFL player for allegations of nonviolent sexual conduct, Mr. Watson’s pattern of conduct is more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL,” Robinson concluded in her 16-page report.
Previously on July 15, the Houston Texans reportedly settled lawsuits with 30 women following accusations that the team ignored Watson as he harassed and assaulted them during therapy sessions when he was still playing for Houston. The settlement terms remained confidential.
Inconsistent punishment for NFL players
South Florida Sun Sentinel sports columnist Dave Hyde wrote that the Miami Dolphins were lucky to avoid trading Watson for the scandal surrounding him. Watson’s lawyer Rusty Hardin said the Dolphins would have traded Watson to them last November if a couple of women had not held out from settling with him.
Protests and debates would have engulfed the Dolphins’ training camp should the trade happen. Not to mention the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s statement earlier this year in which it said that the six-game suspension “dangerously mirrors the flaws in our justice system”.
Watson’s ruling is not only flawed because of the punishment itself but because of the staggering inconsistency involved. For instance, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger both received a six-game suspension for sexual assault allegations that weren’t tried in court.
In contrast, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady received a four-game suspension for deflating footballs, Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley received a 17-game suspension for betting $1,500 on his own team while injured, and Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins was handed down the same six-game suspension as Watson following a positive performance-enhancing drug test.
There is still hope that things will improve — this year, suspensions are handled differently. Now, an independent arbitrator makes rulings instead of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The league and players’ unions have the right to appeal, with Goodell having the final say. Regardless, it is clear that the punishment handed down to Watson will do little to him, as his $256 million contract with Cleveland was written in a way to protect his money from suspensions. He will lose $345,000, but he will retain his $45 million signing bonus.
Watson did receive one harsh penalty as a result of Robinson’s ruling, though: Now, the massage therapists on the team are the only ones he can work with. This is significant as all the women who accused Watson of sexual misconduct were all hired independently by him — he worked with 66 female massage therapists over a 17-month period, according to the New York Times.