OpEd: Deshaun Watson
The $250 Million Dollar Man or The Valid Villain? Watson is considered Public Enemy #1 on many people’s list.
“I have no control over that. Only thing I could control is clearing my name.” answered Deshaun Watson at his Cleveland Browns introductory press conference, when asked about the 22 sexual assault civil lawsuits against him.
On Monday, retired judge Sue L. Robinson decided to suspend Deshaun Watson for his involvement in the sexual assault cases. Watson will only face a suspension of 6 games.
Watson basically received the same amount as his former teammate, Deandre Hopkins, who was only suspended for using Performance-Enhancing Drugs. While it would be a joy to watch Watson’s talent be on display in the second half of the season, the NFL commissioner and his team looks very small after this ruling.
The NFL spent extended time to build a case against Watson to get him suspended for a year with fines attached to the suspension.The NFL will not go down without a fight. According to ESPN reporter Kimberly A. Martin, the NFL appealed the decision of the 6 games.
Why did Watson only receive 6 games?
How is it possible Judge Sue L. Robinson didn’t give Watson a lengthy suspension?
Well in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), there is the NFL committee and NFL Players’ Association. Roger Goodell and company works closely with the players to develop a plan for issues that plague the NFL today. When both sides were discussing on how to hand out suspensions, an arbitrator would be one that decided the appropriate punishment. Roger Goodell would only need to step in if necessary.
Both sides agreed to let retired Judge Sue L. Robinson decide what was the best case scenario for both sides. Judge Robinson came to a conclusion that the 6 games would be best for the newly acquired Cleveland Browns QB. Her reasoning was based the precursor of suspensions that were handed out before and she also stated that Watson engaged in “nonviolent sexual acts”, which is baffling for cases based on sexual assault. But make no mistake about it, Judge Robinson handed out the suspension to Watson because he did display “predatory” behavior.
Numerous players has been suspended for more games, but had a lesser offense. We live in a country that hangs its hat on innocent until proven guilty. There is a big difference between the other players offenses and Watson’s offense. The big difference comes down to one keyword: Evidence. The NFL gave Calvin Ridley a year long suspension for him partaking in sports betting. Not only was Ridley sports betting on NFL games which is a violation in itself, but they found that he was betting on his own team when he was suppose to be taking time away for a personal matter. The NFL also had picture evidence against Greg Hardy to easily give him 10 games. Those 10 games wasn’t enough, but was surely more than what Watson received.
In the month of June, it seemed like the civil suits just kept growing by the day. The civil suits were up to 24. All of the suits filed by massage therapists who had encounters with Watson. Since then, 23 of the 24 sexual assault cases have been settled between Watson’s legal team and lawyer Tony Buzbee.
As a result of the cases being settled, Watson no longer faces the risk of having his contract voided. The Cleveland Browns reassured Watson that his contract would not be voided even if he did faced a long suspension. Watson should be held accountable if he did commit these heinous acts, but it takes two to tango.
With that being said, it’s rare to have a team’s front office engage in such erroneous behavior. According to the stories around Watson’s case, the Houston Texans may have been apart of the problem as well. Instead of protecting their investment, they decided to enable Watson’s behavior and supply him with different masseuses.
Since Watson is set to face a 6 game suspension, the Houston Texans needs to be in line with him to receive a punishment as well. A logical punishment would be a $100,000 to $200,000 fine and suspensions of a few future draft picks. Teams need to be able to face accountability as well.
After watching this battle being drawn out for over a year, we could be in for more time. This battle is quickly transitioning from the NFL committee vs. Watson to the NFL committee vs. NFLPA. Once the decision to suspend Watson for only 6 games, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell quickly decided that it wasn’t enough and set out an appeal. Goodell or a designee who appointed by Goodell could decide what suspension time is best for Watson. Since Goodell wanted to be more fair in his dispersing of punishment, he decided to choose former New Jersey’s Attorney General Peter C. Harvey. Harvey was the person who advised the NFL committee to give Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott a 6 game suspension for his role in the domestic violence allegations in 2017.
Here comes the part that many people won’t enjoy: The Appeal Process. Since both parties have decided to appeal (NFLPA will appeal suspension given), this will make the process even more long and drawn out. Until there is a ruling passed down on the appeal, Watson will be able to take the field with the Cleveland Browns. So if I was you, I would keep a close eye to Watson situation for more details…
