All eyes are on the NFL as it reportedly prepares to finalize its investigation of Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, the most polarizing player of the 2022 offseason. Watson has proclaimed his innocence in the face of 24 — and reportedly soon to be 26 — civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and misconduct during his Texans career. And his new team, which committed a record $230 million to the QB as part of its blockbuster acquisition of him this year, has publicly defended him. But all signs point to the league suspending Watson for at least part of 2022, if not the entire season, while enforcing its personal conduct policy.
Players do not have to be criminally charged in order to violate the policy, and Watson falls in that camp: two different Texas grand juries have declined to indict the QB this offseason, even while more women have accused the former first-round draft pick of being a “serial predator” and the New York Times has reported Watson used at least 66 private massage therapists over a 17-month span during his time in Houston — dozens of which now allege he violated them.
But is there a precedent for a potential Watson suspension? Not a perfect one, by any means; rarely has a player of his stature, at his position, faced such a high volume of accusations and yet also been free of criminal charges. The NFL‘s history of player discipline also lacks a distinct pattern, especially since new standards were only implemented in 2014 in response to the infamous Ray Rice case, when the league unsuccessfully attempted to enact a second, indefinite suspension on the ex-Ravens running back once video surfaced of the player’s assault, which had previously been punished with a mere two-game ban.
Still, if you’re looking for a potential baseline suspension for Watson, it might not hurt to review the bans issued to starters or other players with notable roles over the last 15 years, since the league’s biggest updates to the personal conduct policy in 2007:
Note: Suspensions for violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy differ from suspensions for in-game rules violations, such as unnecessary roughness or fighting; as well as team-imposed suspensions and bans related to the integrity of the game (i.e. Calvin Ridley’s 2022 ban for gambling, or Tom Brady’s 2018 suspension for his alleged role in Deflategate).
|
2021 |
Free agent (Washington) |
6 |
Assault, battery (charges dropped) | |
|
2020 |
Free agent |
8 |
Burglary, battery charges | |
| 2019 | RB Kareem Hunt | Browns | 8 | Assault incident (no charges) |
| 2019 | DT Jarran Reed | Seahawks | 6 | Alleged assault (no charges) |
| 2019 | OG Richie Incognito | Raiders | 2 | Disorderly conduct charge |
| 2018 | LB Mychal Kendricks | Seahawks | 8 | Insider trading charges |
| 2018 | QB Jameis Winston | Buccaneers | 3 | Alleged sexual assault (no charges) |
| 2018 | DE Dante Fowler Jr. | Jaguars | 1 | Simple battery charge |
| 2018 | CB Jimmy Smith | Ravens | 4 | Alleged domestic violence (no charges) |
| 2018 | LB Nigel Bradham | Eagles | 1 | Alleged assault (no charges) |
| 2017 | RB Ezekiel Elliott | Cowboys | 6 | Alleged assault, domestic violence (no charges) |
| 2017 | K Josh Brown | Free agent | 6 | Domestic violence (charges dropped) |
| 2017 | CB Adam “Pacman” Jones | Bengals | 1 | Assault (charges reduced) |
| 2016 | DL Sheldon Richardson | Jets | 1 | Speeding charge |
| 2016 | K Josh Brown | Giants | 1 | Domestic violence (charges dropped) |
| 2015 | S T.J. Ward | Broncos | 1 | Assault (charges reduced) |
| 2015 | OLB Aldon Smith | Raiders | Indefinite (reinstated 2020) | DUI, hit-and-run, vandalism charges |
| 2015 | DE Greg Hardy | Cowboys | 4 (reduced from 10) | Assault (charges dropped) |
| 2014 | DE Aldon Smith | 49ers | 9 | Weapons charges, other incidents |
| 2014 | LB Daryl Washington | Cardinals | Indefinite (reinstated 2017) | Aggravated assault charges, drug use |
| 2014 | RB Adrian Peterson | Vikings | Indefinite (reinstated 2015) | Misdemeanor child abuse charges |
| 2014 | RB Ray Rice | Ravens | 2 | Aggravated assault (charges dropped) |
| 2010 | QB Ben Roethlisberger | Steelers | 4 (reduced from 6) | Alleged sexual assault (no charges) |
| 2010 | WR Vincent Jackson | Chargers | 3 | DUI charges |
| 2010 | CB Aqib Talib | Buccaneers | 1 | Assault charge |
| 2009 | RB Marshawn Lynch | Bills | 3 | Weapons charge |
| 2008 | CB Adam “Pacman” Jones | Cowboys | 4 | Alleged altercation (no charges) |
| 2008 | OT Bryant McKinnie | Vikings | 4 | Aggravated battery charges |
| 2008 | WR Brandon Marshall | Broncos | 1 (reduced from 3) | Alleged domestic violence, DUI (no charges) |
| 2007 | QB Michael Vick | Falcons | Indefinite (reinstated 2009, after 2 games) | Felony dogfighting charges |
| 2007 | DT Tank Johnson | Bears | 8 | Weapons charges |
| 2007 | WR Chris Henry | Bengals | 8 | Weapons charges, other incidents |
| 2007 | CB Adam “Pacman” Jones | Titans | 16 | Alleged assault (reduced charges) |
So what’s the takeaway? Only the NFL can answer that properly, because the NFL is still investigating Watson and, theoretically, has a better understanding of the QB’s conduct, having spoken with the new Browns signal-caller and reviewed accusations made against him. Previous incidents of alleged sexual assault or misconduct involving QBs has produced relatively mild suspensions (see: Ben Roethlisberger and Jameis Winston drawing a combined seven-game ban), but with Watson, the difference is there are literally two dozen different women alleging a pattern of abuse. Roethlisberger and Winston, it should be noted, also avoided formal charges relating to their respective cases.
It seems reasonable, especially in light of <em>The Washington Post</em>’s Friday report that the NFL is likely to seek at least a one-year ban for Watson, to assume the QB will be suspended for most of the 2022 season, his first in Cleveland. Watson hasn’t made any indication one way or another regarding his plans regarding a potential suspension appeal, but his contract with the Browns is specifically structured so as to avoid major financial losses due to a suspension in 2022.