Report: NFL wouldn't accept 6-8 game ban for Deshaun Watson

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NFL would not accept 6-8 game suspension for Browns' Deshaun Watson

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 6/29/22

Shortly after it was learned Tuesday that the hearing in front of NFL disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson regarding the possible suspension of Cleveland Browns star quarterback Deshaun Watson is expected to last for "multiple days," The Associated Press' Rob Maaddi dropped somewhat of a bombshell when he tweeted the league could accept a ban of six-to-eight games for Watson rather than the indefinite suspension it reportedly requested:

I'm told the NFL inisted on an indefinite suspension while Deshaun Watson's legal team argued there's no basis for that punishment. The hearing will continue on Wednesday in Delaware and Watson is expected to be present for the duration. Story upcoming. #NFL #Browns
— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) June 28, 2022

More: I'm also told the NFL, despite insisting on indefinite suspension, wants to avoid the appeals process - source said "a terrible situation for everyone involved" - so league is more likely to abide by Sue Robinson's ruling IF she came back with 6-8 games.
— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) June 28, 2022

It appears that might not be the case.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (h/t Pro Football Talk) reported Wednesday afternoon that a source says it is "not true that the NFL would likely abide by a 6- to 8-game suspension for Deshaun Watson if that’s what disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson hands down."

The source added that the NFL "isn’t budging" on asking that Watson be suspended for the 2022 season, at a minimum, over much-publicized allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.

For a piece published late Tuesday night, PFT's Mike Florio suggested the league would likely "initiate the appeal process" to commissioner Roger Goodell if Robinson's ruling included only a ban of six to eight contests.

Watson has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has had two grand juries decline to indict him, but a lawsuit filed against the Houston Texans on Monday that alleges they enabled their former signal-caller's reported behavior says that "at least 30 different women" may have experienced misconduct during sessions involving the 26-year-old.

Twenty of 24 plaintiffs suing Watson settled earlier this month. It's unclear if more lawsuits could be filed this summer or later this year.

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