“We got your back, Watson!” yelled one.Īfter learning the ruling was imminent, the NFLPA issued a joint statement with Watson on Sunday night, saying they will not appeal and urged the league to follow suit. He waved toward cheering fans while he and his teammates began their stretching period before practice Monday in Berea, Ohio. He can return to practice in Week 4 and would be eligible to play on Oct. Watson can continue to practice and play in exhibition games before his suspension begins the first week of the regular season. This was the first case for Robinson, who was jointly appointed by the NFL and the union to handle player misconduct - a role previously held by Goodell. In a statement, the league said it is “reviewing Judge Robinson’s imposition of a six-game suspension and will make a determination on next steps.” His $45 million signing bonus is not affected by the suspension. Watson, who signed a fully guaranteed $230 million, five-year contract, will lose only $345,000 if the suspension is unchanged because his base salary this season is $1.035 million. He cooperated in the investigation and has paid restitution,” she wrote. “As to mitigating factors, he is a first offender and had an excellent reputation in his community prior to these events. Robinson rejected Watson’s denials of wrongdoing and considered his “lack of expressed remorse” to be an aggravating factor. “It is inherently unfair to identify conduct as prohibited only after the conduct has been committed, just as it is inherently unjust to change the penalties for such conduct after the fact.”
“Defining prohibited conduct plays a critical role in the rule of law, enabling people to predict the consequences of their behavior,” she wrote. Robinson noted the league acknowledged at the hearing that its recommended punishment was “unprecedented” and she concluded the NFL should not change its standards of discipline for nonviolent sexual assault without giving fair notice to players. Robinson determined, based on the league’s burden of proof, that Watson violated three provisions of the personal conduct policy: sexual assault conduct posing a genuine danger to the safety and well-being of another person and conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL. The NFL presented a 215-page report based on testimony from four of 12 women interviewed by league investigators, and 37 other third parties. WATCH: NFL faces criticism for handling of misconduct accusations The league had pushed for a suspension of at least a year and the $5 million fine for the 26-year-old Watson during a three-day hearing before Robinson in June, two people familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the hearing wasn’t public. The union then could try to challenge that ruling in federal court. If either side appeals, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or someone he designates will make the decision, per terms of the CBA. The NFL Players Association has said it would abide by Robinson’s ruling. She added that Watson must have “no adverse involvement with law enforcement and must not commit any additional violations” of the personal conduct policy. Watson’s pattern of conduct is more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL,” Robinson wrote in the conclusion to her 16-page report.Įven though the only discipline in the collective bargaining agreement is a fine or suspension, Robinson mandated as condition of reinstatement that Watson should “limit his massage therapy to Club-directed sessions and Club-approved massage therapists” for the rest of his career. “Although this is the most significant punishment ever imposed on an NFL player for allegations of nonviolent sexual conduct, Mr.
The NFL has three days to appeal the decision. Watson, who played for four seasons with Houston before being traded to Cleveland in March, recently settled 23 of 24 lawsuits filed by women alleging sexual harassment and assault during the treatments in 20.
Robinson, fell well short of what the NFL had asked for: an open-ended suspension of at least a year for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The punishment handed out by the game’s disciplinary officer, former federal judge Sue L. Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for six games Monday after being accused by two dozen women in Texas of sexual misconduct during massage treatments, in what a disciplinary officer said was behavior “more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL.”
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