Despite Deshaun Watson‘s off-field issues surfacing more than a year ago, it is not certain his NFL punishment will be known by the time the 2022 season begins.
Watson said Friday his plan remains not to settle any of the civil lawsuits filed against him, via Sarah Barshop and Jake Trotter of ESPN.com, and has continued to maintain the allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct are without merit. With the criminal cases not producing charges, the civil part of this saga shifts to the forefront regarding NFL discipline. Players do not have to be charged with crimes to be suspended, and the expectation remains the Browns’ new quarterback will be banned for an undetermined stretch.
The NFL is unlikely to act on a Watson suspension until his civil trial concludes, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com noting the league does not want to levy discipline and then see new information come out that forces an adjustment to that discipline (video link). The league’s investigation is ongoing. At least 10 of the 22 women who have filed suit against Watson have spoken with the league, Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets. The league has not interviewed Watson, with Rapoport adding that is this investigation’s final step.
The attorney for the 22 accusers who have filed civil suits, Tony Buzbee, said 17 Watson depositions remain on the docket. Buzbee expects four additional women to join the suit against Watson, who has two depositions scheduled for next week, per ESPN. With Watson not planning to settle, this matter stands to drag on for a while longer.
Anticipating a suspension, the Browns reduced Watson’s 2022 base salary to $1MM, which will significantly limit the financial penalties the quarterback will face if/once the NFL’s ban is handed down. The prospect of Watson not being suspended by Week 1 would put the NFL in an interesting situation. The Texans deactivated Watson throughout the 2021 season, but the NFL would be forced to make a decision regarding the commissioner’s exempt list if a suspension does not surface by Week 1. If Watson is not placed on the list in this scenario, it opens the door to the QB starting the season and facing an in-season suspension, a la Ezekiel Elliott in 2017. The league was not prepared to place Watson on the exempt list last year, and Elliott did not land on the list five years ago. The Cowboys running back played eight games before being suspended that year.
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