Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has received a six-game suspension and no fine for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday, August 1.
Deshaun Watson was suspended six games; he was not fined, per source.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler added that “Sue L. Robinson’s comprehensive 15-page conclusion stated that though Deshaun Watson violated the personal conduct policy, there was not enough evidence to justify an indefinite suspension, per source. The belief is that’s what the league wanted.”
Sue L. Robinson’s comprehensive 15-page conclusion stated that though Deshaun Watson violated the personal conduct policy, there was not enough evidence to justify an indefinite suspension, per source. The belief is that’s what the league wanted.
The NFL now has three days to decide to appeal Watson’s six-game suspension, per Schefter.
NFL now has three days to decide to appeal Deshaun Watson’s six-game suspension.
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Cordarrelle Patterson Reacts to Suspension
On Monday, March 7, the NFL suspended Falcons’ wide receiver Calvin Ridley for at least a year after an investigation found that he had been gambling on games. He also lost his $11.1 million salary.
The league stated that the bets took place during a five-day period in November 2021, after he had announced his decision to step away from football for his mental well-being on October 31.
NFL fans and Ridley himself believed his suspension was too harsh in comparison to other NFL players who have been involved in domestic violence or sexual allegations and received a lesser punishment.
Even Ridely’s teammates are on his side as well.
Atlanta’s star running back, Cordarrelle Patterson fired off a tweet shortly after Schefter’s report:
“Free my dawg!!,” Patterson wrote and attached a picture of him and Ridley below.
Free my dawg!!
Dallas Cowboys star and Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman is also on the same page as Patterson.
“I know the league takes gambling very seriously when players are gambling on games, and that was indicative in the suspension he [Ridley] got,” Aikman said during an interveiw with TMZ on March 11. “When you look at it against some of the other suspensions, I’d agree that it looks like an awful lot.”
Aikman continued with how the league has changed and actually welcomes gambling from spectators now.
“It seems like a bit much in today’s climate primarily because there was a time when the NFL was totally against the legalization of gambling on football games. And now, that’s a big part of the revenue stream for the NFL. On the one hand, you have the league encouraging everybody to gamble, and yet, here Calvin Ridley is suspended for an entire season.”
Watson Denied Any Wrongdoing
During June’s hearing, the NFL initially argued for an indefinite suspension of at least one season, plus a $5 million fine. However, the union fought back and didn’t believe Watson should receive any kind of punishment since he was not convicted of a crime after two grand juries declined to indict Watson on criminal charges.
One of the 24 cases, per the lawsuit [via ESPN], stated that the plaintiff massaged Watson twice. The lawsuit says that during the first session, “Watson had to leave abruptly after taking a phone call.” The lawsuit then says that Watson scheduled a second massage just a few days later where the woman claims that Watson exposed himself and masturbated and “offered no apology or explanation for his conduct.”
Throughout the entire process, Watson has continued to deny any wrongdoing.
“I have never assaulted, disrespected or harassed any woman in my life,” Watson said during his introductory press conference after the Browns traded for him back in March. “I was raised differently. That is not my DNA. That is not my culture. That is not me as a person.”
The Houston Texans traded Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024; a third-round pick in 2022; and a fourth-round pick in 2024.
He signed a five-year, $230 million contract. All $230 million of Watson’s contract is fully guaranteed, putting him under contract through 2026.
Meanwhile, Ridley, who placed a bet on his own team to WIN, gets at least a full season suspension and loses his $11.1 million salary.
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Cordarrelle Patterson Fires Off Tweet Following Deshaun Watson’s Suspension