Browns Watson Suspended 11 Games And Fined $5M
11 games and $5 million dollars! That’s the disciplinary action that has been agreed upon by the NFL and the NFLPA for Deshaun Watson along with mandatory counseling.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback reached a settlement with the NFL for violating the League’s “Personal Conduct Policy”, as more than two dozen women accused Watson of sexual misconduct during massage treatments.
He will be suspended for the first 11 games of the regular season and fined $5 million dollars, plus lose 11 games of salary totaling over $600,000 dollars.
Ironically Watson will be eligible to play his first game of the season against the team that drafted him and traded him to Cleveland, the Houston Texans on December 3rd in Houston.
As of now, Jacoby Brissette will replace Watson as the Browns starting quarterback, however Watson will be eligible to practice throughout the preseason with the team and play in the remaining 2 preseason games. His suspension officially kicks in the first week of the regular season.
Here are official statements from the Browns:
Statement from Dee and Jimmy Haslam:
“As we have previously conveyed, Deshaun and his representatives have abided by the NFL and NFLPA structure awaiting a final decision and we have respected the process. Now that a decision on discipline has been reached, we understand this is a real opportunity to create meaningful change and we are committed to investing in programs in Northeast Ohio that will educate our youth regarding awareness, understanding, and most importantly, prevention of sexual misconduct and the many underlying causes of such behavior. Since Deshaun entered our building, he has been an outstanding member of our organization and shown a true dedication to working on himself both on and off the field. We will continue to support him as he focuses on earning the trust of our community.”
Statement from Deshaun Watson:
“I’m grateful that the disciplinary process has ended and extremely appreciative of the tremendous support I have received throughout my short time with the Browns organization. I apologize once again for any pain this situation has caused. I take accountability for the decisions I made. My focus going forward is on working to become the best version of myself on and off the field and supporting my teammates however possible while I’m away from the team. I’m excited about what the future holds for me in Cleveland.”
