Deshaun Watson Discipline Decision Expected Monday

The Browns traded for Watson in March, after a first grand jury declined to charge him but before a second one did, and awarded him a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract. The decision on Watson’s discipline has been widely anticipated, not only as a result of the Browns’ investment in him, but because the breadth of allegations against Watson set this apart from any other personal conduct case that has been considered by the league.

The league and Watson’s representatives could not negotiate a mutually agreed upon discipline, putting the initial decision in Robinson’s hands. She oversaw a three-day hearing in late June, during which the N.F.L. recommended that Watson be suspended indefinitely and required to wait at least a full season to reapply, while the union and Watson’s representatives argued against a lengthy ban. This was the N.F.L.’s first personal conduct case to be heard by a disciplinary officer instead of Commissioner Roger Goodell, a protocol established in the 2020 collective bargaining agreement.

The league and the players association would have three business days after Robinson’s ruling to submit a written appeal, which would be handled by Goodell or a person of his choosing. But the players union said in a statement on Sunday night — before Robinson issued her decision — that it would not appeal and called on the N.F.L. to let the ruling stand.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/sports/football/deshaun-watson-nfl-suspension.html