This is entertaining. For now, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is suspended for the first six games of the regular season. But for the NFL, that isn’t good enough.
Instead, they’re seeking a stronger punishment for Watson being found in violation of the personal conduct policy, by filing an appeal. The league is instead seeking a full-year suspension. preventing Watson from even seeing the field with his new team during the 2022-23 season. They are also seeking a heavy fine, well over $5 million, plus would require Watson to be evaluated for treatment by medical experts.
We don’t know when an official ruling on his appeal will be reached. We do know Watson’s set to start Friday’s preseason game, which will be his first game action in a year and a half.
Meanwhile as the appeal decision is in the works, word has emerged of Watson and his camp being open to an eight-game suspension in addition to a fine totalling $5 million, according to the Associated Press.
In Watson’s eyes, he would prefer this over missing the entire season, which may very well be on the table, and maybe that’s why he or his camp are leaking this suggestion instead, as a sort of compromise.
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Will Deshaun Watson’s negotiation tactic work?
You have to credit a guy for trying. Not really. But no, this is ridiculous. Generally, when someone is determining a punishment that you have no say in, the punished can’t just come out and be like, “well, I’d be willing to accept this, but not that”. Why should the league feel any need to compromise with Watson? What is he going to do, play in a different league?
Meanwhile the AP report does remind us that a settlement has always been a possibility, where the league meets in the middle with Watson.
Since when does Watson think he can choose his own punishment? Isn’t that why they had Judge Sue L. Robinson’s ruling in the first place? And the same with the appeal that’s followed?
This is a strange report, and who knows if there’s any truth to it. But the league likely couldn’t care less what Watson would prefer. We’ll see what Peter C. Harvey, the person handling Watson’s appeal, thinks of all this once the final ruling gets handed down.
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