Mike Florio pushes for $10 million fine for Deshaun Watson

Despite fans tuning in to watch Deshaun Watson play live football over the weekend, the quarterback is not expected to see the field in September. With a six-game suspension acting as the floor of his punishment, the quarterback will not be on the field until almost mid-season.

However, the six-game punishment has been appealed by the NFL, meaning the league will be pushing for more. Speaking on Pro Football Talk Live, one NFL analyst pushed the league to effectively suspend him for almost two years. Explaining his point, NFL analyst Mike Florio claimed that, by fining him $10 million, he would be making his year off in 2021 act like a suspension in retrospect.

"I think it's going to be ten [games], and it's going to be a fine between five and ten... And they need to start making the case that taking away $10 million is the equivalent of treating all of last year as a suspension after the fact."

Of course, with the quarterback still settling into a $230 million lifestyle afforded by his contract, fans may argue that $10 million isn't enough. That said, Florio has settled on the size of the fine and the additional ten-game suspension as the correct choice.

Deshaun Watson's purgatory

Cleveland Browns Press Conference

Watson's work over the weekend was the first time he played in a football game since the end of the 2020 football season. Between then and now, the quarterback has seen the depths of the legal system. Soon after the end of the 2020 season, the quarterback was underwater due to a tsunami of litigation stemming from roughly two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct.

The civil lawsuits and criminal cases were a factor in keeping him out of the league in 2021. At first, even Watson's freedom was in jeopardy. However, after a year of waiting, the case was eventually thrown out. That said, it left a long trail of civil lawsuits that needed sorting out.

In 2022, Watson was traded during a short window when it seemed the quarterback was trending toward wrapping up his legal situation. He landed with the Cleveland Browns and was greeted with a $230 million contract. Since then, he has worked to close the long list of civil suits. One case currently remains. Lastly, the NFL is settling on a punishment for the quarterback.

Six games is the current floor for the punishment, but that number is currently under adjustment. Will the quarterback play in 2022?

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If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Pro Football Talk Live and H/T Sportskeeda.