Report: NFL, Deshaun Watson not discussing punishment settlement

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson had his hearing in front of NFL disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson regarding allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions wrap up last week, but it's believed no ruling about a possible suspension will come until next week at the earliest. 

Multiple reports have confirmed the NFL is requesting that Watson receive an indefinite ban that would make him ineligible for at least all of the upcoming season, while the NFL Players Association is pushing against any suspension. As Mike Florio noted for Pro Football Talk, ESPN's Dan Graziano recently explained during a radio appearance that the league and Watson's side had settlement talks during the disciplinary hearing. 

"They weren’t able to come close enough late last week," Graziano reported at the time. "The league is still insisting from what I’ve been told on an indefinite suspension that would allow Watson to . . . apply for reinstatement after a certain period of time. Initially, they wanted that period to be a year but they moved a little closer to Watson and were talking about, 'You know, you can reapply after 12 games,' for example. But Watson is still not interested in signing up for that indefinite suspension." 

Florio offered an update on Thursday and said that sources claim there are currently "no" settlement talks ongoing between the parties, and also that "a 12-game, open-ended suspension would not be a serious offer." 

Watson's legal team has reached settlements with 20 of 24 women suing him even though he's repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and had two grand juries decline to indict him. Backup Jacoby Brissett is next up on the Cleveland depth chart if Watson is unavailable to play for any number of games.