Deshaun Watson has settled 20 out of the 24 cases of sexual misconduct brought against him. It appears he may also settle the four remaining cases before the 2022-23 season begins.
However, the NFL is conducting its own investigation and will decide what sort of punishment to hand down to the Cleveland Browns quarterback.
There have been reports that the quarterback and his representatives have met with the NFLPA and the NFL to discuss a “workable suspension” for the quarterback. If so, a meeting of this kind would be unprecedented in the league’s history.
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Former NFL MVP turned analyst Boomer Esiason spoke about the alleged meeting on his sports radio show Boomer and Gio.
Here's what he said:
“When I was in the NFL, you did something wrong, you got suspended. You didn’t even have a hearing or anything else. Then I’m hearing that Deshaun Watson, his representatives, the NFLPA, and the NFL are all sitting down and trying to come up with some sort of workable suspension for Deshaun Watson.”
Esiason went on to express his disgust with the meeting:
“I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life. Yeah. Something that’s workable for everybody. Well, yeah I mean, it’s ridiculous. The NFL, and I know they tread very lightly in this area because they’ve made mistakes before, and now they’re trying to spread out the responsibility so it’s not just theirs.”
The former MVP also questioned what could be accomplished in the meeting:
“That they have engaged with the union, the union and the NFL have picked the person, Sue L. Robinson, the former judge to sit in judgment of everything that she’s been handed. She is the one that is going to make the decision. I don’t even know why they had this meeting, because she’s the ultimate one who has to decide. How bad is it? And what the punishment should be?”
If the punishment for Watson equals nothing more than a slap on the wrist, there will no doubt be an uproar from fans and the media. Especially considering the six-game suspension that was just handed to Alvin Kamara and the one-year suspension given to Calvin Ridley for betting on games.
Deshaun Watson could be given a light punishment, which may not sit well with media and fans
Watson is still waiting to see how things play out, but if the punishment doesn’t fit the alleged crime, expect a wave of protests directed towards the NFL and its commissioner.
In MLB recently, Trevor Bauer received a two-year suspension for one accusation of sexual misconduct. Many fans have insisted that the Cleveland quarterback receives a similar punishment. Others are expecting six to eight weeks, which would amount to a slap on the wrist. Most pundits, however, expect Watson to miss the season.
Regardless of what suspension is handed out, certain sections of the NFL community will be unhappy. It will be interesting to see what the NFL decides to do with the quarterback when its investigation finally concludes.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Boomer and Gio and H/T Sportskeeda.
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