It seems that if the NFL can’t get a season-long suspension for Deshaun Watson, it might be open to a ban that at least keeps him off the field for the Cleveland Browns' Week 13 game against the Houston Texans.
Despite the league's best efforts during July hearings in front of Judge Sue L. Robinson, the NFL was not able to get the yearlong ban it reportedly hoped for in a Deshaun Watson suspension ruling. In the end, the former U.S. district judge handed down a six-game suspension.
The precedent of previous judgments set a standard of six-game suspensions, and that is what Robinson decided to levy on Watson. However, the sports world found out on Wednesday that the ruling did not sit with the league, and it officially appealed the outcome of the hearings.
Reports since have suggested that the NFL is once again looking for a season-long ban. And the league has a good chance to secure that since it has the power to designate who oversees the hearings. On Thursday, the league chose former New Jersey attorney general Peter C. Harvey for the job.
If Harvey is unwilling to impose a season-long suspension on Watson, the NFL reportedly might be open to an alternative option. During a recent appearance on ESPN morning show “Get Up,” NFL insider Adam Schefter revealed that the NFL and NFLPA had recently attempted to reach a settlement on a suspension and that the league was looking for a 12-game ban so that Watson did not compete in the Browns' Week 13 matchup against his former team, the Houston Texans. Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson confirmed Schefter's report.
If Watson were to have only a six-game ban, fans, media and activists would surely circle the Dec. 4 date against Houston on their calendar. The league, rightly so, understands that the matchup would become a spectacle for the wrong reasons.
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