Deshaun Watson was issued a 11 game suspension and a $5 million fine yesterday morning for 24 sexual misconduct lawsuits. This punishment is a slap on the wrist compared to other suspensions the NFL has given out.
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Deshaun Watson sat out the entire 2021 NFL season between 2 reasons. Watson was looking for a new team to play for and the Houston Texans organization would not play him. The Texans organization was in the middle of looking into sexual assault misconduct cases against the quarterback.
By the end of the 2021 NFL season, it became obvious that the cases against Watson would keep pouring in. At the time of decision from a jury deciding Watson’s fate, there were 24 sexual misconduct lawsuits against him.
These sexual misconduct cases came from massage therapists who claimed that Watson was a repeat predator when it came to massages. He would force himself onto the individual and demand sexual favors.
With all of the cases and evidence, the jury decided that Watson deserved a 6 game suspension with no fine. The NFL and Roger Goodell decided to appeal this decision, looking for a more severe punishment.
In the end, the NFL settled on a 11 game suspension along with a $5 million fine. This punishment was settled by the NFL and the NFL Players Association. The vast majority of NFL fans and analysts alike are livid at this decision.
Does the NFL really care? Deshaun Watson penalty doesn’t fit the bill
This question needs to be asked after the punishment given out. Let us compare Watson’s punishment with the punishment of other individuals. These other individuals committed crimes that are objectively of a lesser extent than Watson’s.
The most recent suspension was Calvin Ridley, being suspended for betting on his team to win while he was not playing. This obviously breaches many rules since Ridley could have insider information on games. It is also not too hard to throw games when you are around players.
It is justified that Ridley was suspended a year if we consider that the NFL is always harsh. But that was not the case when it came to Watson. Watson’s suspension was just a little more than half of Ridley’s suspension.
In addition, he was only fined a mere $5 million after signing a $230 million fully guaranteed contract.
It is obvious that Watson got off easy after even accepting that his behavior was unacceptable. It seems like the NFL only cares about the on field product, and not even a bit about off field repercussions.
