Questions linger on impact of Watson case
The conclusion of Deshaun Watson’s disciplinary hearing last week merely brought an intermission to the process. There’s still a ways to go to a full resolution, at least in terms of the on-the-field part of the story.
The cynical view held by some – likely even many – of a news dump on a late Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend with former Federal judge Sue L. Robinson’s final verdict never seemed to gain traction once it was known that post-hearing briefs weren’t expected until the week of July 11. That meant the earliest the jointly-appointed disciplinary officer could render a decision against the Browns quarterback would be nearly two weeks later.
All of it centers on any potential personal conduct policy violations by Watson stemming from the 24 initial lawsuits against him alleging sexual misconduct while getting massages. Of those 24, 20 were settled late last month, about a week prior to the start of the NFL disciplinary hearing.
So, after three days of hearings and still days left until a decision, what’s left to do is wait.
What follows are some of the questions, both directly involving the decision and indirectly off of it, which can arise.
What kind of suspension is Watson facing?
The NFL informed Watson and the NFL Players Association prior to the hearing it was seeking an indefinite suspension, with a year being the minimum. However, coming out of the hearing, published reports opened the door to a belief the punishment could be significantly less.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio may have generated the biggest buzz over the weekend with his report which looked at the case the NFL presented to Robinson. Per Florio, the league centered it on five women, but provided no evidence of violence or threats, nor any kind of physical conduct that would constitute assault.
That could open the door for Robinson to come back with a much less punitive ruling against Watson.
Does the lengthy time frame benefit Watson?
The fact this isn’t being accelerated
speaks to Robinson’s judicial background and likely the desire to craft a decision which is thorough and incorporates all of the many arguments and pieces of evidence that she heard.
That includes the post-hearing briefs, which remain to be filed. Those could only lengthen the process even more, possibly even beyond the start of training camp on July 27.
Will the Browns actually have to address the QB position?
Well, yes, they will. Or, it should be said, they did on Wednesday when they finally completed the trade to send Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers.
That solves that dilemma. There remains, however, what happens in the Browns’ own quarterback room.
However, the length of Watson’s suspension, assuming there is one, would definitely determine the caliber of quarterback the Browns seek to at least come in for the interim. There’s no doubt they will bring in someone to be the fourth quarterback in camp, or at least the third quarterback for the number of games Watson is out.
Is it possible Watson’s final outcome remains undetermined by the start of the season?
Unless Robinson hands down no suspension, there’s going to be an appeal by one side or the other, depending on which way the suspension falls. That appeal would be heard by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, or one of his designees.
That probably adds a couple of weeks to the process, which now puts you into training camp. Depending on the outcome of the appeal, that could lead to some kind of legal challenge in court, as was the case with Tom Brady and Deflategate.