After being accused of sexual assault, Deshaun Watson, quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, will serve a six-game ban for breaching the league’s personal conduct policy, determined disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson on Monday.
Watson violated the personal behaviour standard, according to Robinson’s exhaustive 15-page finding, but there was insufficient support for a lengthy suspension, a source said.
Watson will make a comeback for the Browns’ game against Baltimore on October 23.
In a statement released Sunday night, the NFL Players Association made it plain that it will “stand behind” Robinson’s decision and urged the NFL to do the same.
In civil cases brought by 25 women, Watson has been charged with sexual assault and inappropriate behavior during massage sessions. When Watson was a player for the Houston Texans between March 2020 and March 2021, that was when the interactions in question occurred.
After a judge ruled in April 2021 that the plaintiffs needed to alter their applications to divulge their names, one of the 25 claims was dismissed.
Watson agreed to settle three of the final four lawsuits on Monday, according to Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee, who represents the women suing Watson. Watson settled 20 of the 24 lawsuits he was facing in June.
The Texans settled with 30 women who had filed claims against the team for its alleged role in the Watson allegations last month. These women had threatened to do so initially.
A three-day hearing in Robinson’s home state of Delaware in late June featured testimony from the league, the union, and Watson’s lawyer.
The players’ union and Watson’s lawyer claimed that the quarterback shouldn’t be suspended at all, contrary to the NFL’s demand for at least a year-long sentence. Throughout the hearing, the parties discussed a potential settlement but were unable to come to an agreement.
Watson is expected to skip six of his $57,500 game checks in 2022, costing him a total of $345,000 off his $1.035 million basic pay because no additional fine was assessed.
With a basic salary that will increase to $46 million in 2023 and a $44.965 million signing bonus, Watson’s contract with the Browns would guarantee him a league-high $230 million.
