Watson to serve 11-game suspension in NFL, NFLPA settlement originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Deshaun Watson will be suspended for 11 games and fined $5 million in a settlement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
He will also undergo mandatory counseling, and the Browns and NFL will each donate $1 million to sexual assault prevention programs.
In the league's statement, commissioner Roger Goodell wrote, "Deshaun has committed to doing the hard work on himself that is necessary for his return to the NFL. This settlement requires compliance with a professional evaluation and treatment plan, a significant fine, and a more substantial suspension."
Watson, meanwhile, said, "I apologize once again for any pain this situation caused" in a statement released by the team. In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, however, he maintained his innocence.
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Watson had been facing a six-game suspension after a ruling by former U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson on Aug. 1 – and the possibility of a much longer sentence after the NFL, which had sought a full-year suspension, appealed Robinson’s decision.
Commissioner Roger Goodell appointed Peter Harvey to revise Watson’s sentence, a decision that would have been binding under the collective bargaining agreement, but Harvey reportedly held off on a decision while the two sides reportedly were holding active talks about a settlement earlier this week.
The settlement puts an end to a nearly-18-month process since Watson was first accused of sexual misconduct in March 2021. After grand juries in Texas declined to indict him on sexual misconduct accusations by 24 women, the Texans traded him to the Browns, who signed him to a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract this past March.
Watson started the Browns’ first preseason game last week, which he was eligible to do because Robinson’s sentence didn’t apply to the preseason.
When is Deshaun Watson's first game back?
Watson will be eligible to return for Cleveland's Week 13 game against his former team, the Houston Texans. That game is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 4, at 1 p.m.
Jacoby Brissett is expected to start in Watson’s absence. The Browns play the Carolina Panthers in Week 1.
