This one made me smile.

I just read the following headline from FoxNews:

"Deshaun Watson settles with 20 of 24 women who accused him of sexual misconduct, attorney says"

4 hours ago, theguru said:

I just read the following headline from FoxNews:

"Deshaun Watson settles with 20 of 24 women who accused him of sexual misconduct, attorney says"

Yes.  Reporter Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com thinks this is good news for Cleveland in that it removes the worst case scenario from the table.  Worst case would have been for the league to place Watson on paid leave for 2022 and await the civil court ruling on the 24 suits.  That could have meant that Watson would be out for the entire 2022 season and then face a partial or full suspension in the 2023 season.  Pluto thinks the settlement of 20 of the 24 suits will mean that whatever the NFL does now will be held to the 2022 season, unless they slap him with a multi-year suspension which Pluto thinks is unlikely.  Pluto believes settling the 20 cases puts some financial parameters on the 4 remaining cases.  Pluto, by the way, was vocal about the Browns not trading for Watson when the possible trade was first reported.  

How many accusations of sexual misconduct from women do you need in order to have a multi-year suspension?  What is the dividing line?  25 women per year?  50?  75?

Yep, that was sarcasm, because I don't approve of Watson's behavior toward women and this is another example of the sports world wanting to quickly clean up "messes" like this in the interest of keeping the money making machine going.  Take note of how the real world works boys and girls.

When asked by Dan Patrick for an opinion on what Watson's punishment may be, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk said he heard that the NFL Players Association is bracing for something "unprecedented."  Cleveland sports journalists are expecting an announcement by the NFL in the first or second week of July.  

Looks like they are now looking for an "indefinite suspension"

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10039923-report-nfl-pushing-for-indefinite-suspension-of-browns-deshaun-watson?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

But as we know with the NFL, that could be for life, or 2 weeks.

After Disciplinary Officer, Sue Robinson, decides the punishment, The NFL Players Association or the NFL could appeal the decision to Commissioner Roger Goodell, whose decision would then be final.  The NFL has recommended an indefinite suspension of at least one year.  If this is what occurs, Watson could ask for reinstatement after the season.  

An indefinite suspension is better for the Browns than a decision to suspend Watson for 17 games.  The indefinite suspension means the clock on Watson's contract would not start until 2023, so the Browns would have Watson on contract through the 2027 season.  

Robinson's decision is expected in a day or two.  

If Watson is out for the entire season, the Browns will add another QB to the roster.  

Read the article by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com

 

6 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

 

I'll take $100,000 to not play for the Browns.  Can I get in on this?

Quick update on things.

Yesterday it was released that Watson's suspension from the league's disciplinary officer, Sue Robinson, was imminent. The Player's Association released a statement it would not appeal Robinson's decision, regardless of what it was, and encouraged the NFL (i.e. Goodell), to do the same. By Monday morning three additional suits were settled and news broke a couple hours ago that Robinson issued a six game suspension. The ball is now in the NFL's court. Goodell is put into a no-win situation, which is where we all knew this was headed.

Serious question here. Watson has earned about $50M in his playing career. He was never a huge star, but I am going to guess another $15M off the field? How much do you think he has gone through this past year?

2 hours ago, bugatti said:

Serious question here. Watson has earned about $50M in his playing career. He was never a huge star, but I am going to guess another $15M off the field? How much do you think he has gone through this past year?

I'll guess $25 million. He had no leverage and paid a premium because of that.

Six games if that ends up holding, wow.

1 hour ago, theguru said:

Six games if that ends up holding, wow.

I think Goodell is going to increase it as the NFL was asking for an indefinite suspension, but I have nothing other than that to support this line of thinking. Again, Goodell has been put into a no-win situation. He goes along with the judge's ruling, he will get slammed. He increases it, the NFLPA will tee off on him and people will still say he didn't do enough unless he permanently bans Watson.

1 hour ago, Voice of Reason said:

I'll guess $25 million. He had no leverage and paid a premium because of that.

That would equate to a little over $1M for each victim or case settled... inclusive of lawyer fees.