Judge Recommends Suspension of 6 Games for Deshaun Watson

[PDay8810]

The league will likely take the next 48-60 hours and see what the public backlash of this only being 6 games is

100%

 

[HaroldSeattle]

The legality of certain clauses in any collective bargaining agreement go to court all the time.

If the NFL put a clause into the CBA that says it can whip players and the players get double pay for putting up with it so they sign off on it, it doesn't mean it is legal.

This is really the first time this whole punishment system has played out. Eventually it probably will end up in court. But I doubt Goodell thinks this case is so bad in terms of being off on what the punishment is and what it should be that he risks the entire process being thrown into upheaval in the courts.

On sure the NFLPA sues all the time and repeatedly lose almost every single time.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

A clause was included in Robinson decision:

Discipline officer requires Deshaun Watson to get massages from Browns' staff only

The six-game suspension handed to Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson includes an apparently unprecedented condition: Watson can only get massages from therapists on the Browns' staff.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

The six-game suspension handed to Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson includes an apparently unprecedented condition: Watson can only get massages from therapists on the Browns’ staff.


A little insurance to avoid future lawsuits?

 

[rmilia1]

The primary reason i can't see the league leaving this at 6 is precedent

If they leave it at 6 for a guy with 24 civil lawsuits accusing sexual misconduct they are basically kneecapping themselves going forward with this with 1 or 2 accusers

How can you susoend a guy for 3 or 4 games for 1 accusation when you only suspended av guy with 24 for 6?? It just puts them in an untenable position imo

But we shall see


If I'm Elliot, Roethlisberger, Ridley etc and this stays at 6 i would be fucking irate

 

[HaroldSeattle]

The primary reason i can't see the league leaving this at 6 is precedent

If they leave it at 6 for a guy with 24 civil lawsuits accusing sexual misconduct they are basically kneecapping themselves going forward with this with 1 or 2 accusers

Yeah that's a excellent point and I do think the league appeals.

 

[fastforward]

A clause was included in Robinson decision:

Discipline officer requires Deshaun Watson to get massages from Browns' staff only

The six-game suspension handed to Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson includes an apparently unprecedented condition: Watson can only get massages from therapists on the Browns' staff.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

The six-game suspension handed to Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson includes an apparently unprecedented condition: Watson can only get massages from therapists on the Browns’ staff.


A little insurance to avoid future lawsuits?

...and if Watson breaches the condition?

 

[Cincyfan78]

If they tack on punishment to this decision, it wont be Watson case that gets thrown into the courts. His case will be completely irrelevant. It will be the CBA and the language of this whole process that will go to court.

.....and that is why he wont add on to the suspension. It threatens the whole process.

Then, basically, that renders this part of the CBA useless, which I can't see the NFL/RG agreeing to never add to something they disagree with.

If it were not legal, no way the NFLPA would have allowed it to be a part of the CBA - so, like I keep saying - they can kick and scream all they want, but they agreed to the language, it was cleared by their lawyers, and now they may be faced with having to deal with that fallout.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

...and if Watson breaches the condition?

Then things get interesting.

 

[wilwhite]

It was heard in court and deemed unworthy of trial. Again if criminal charges were at least filed I would view it differently but how can we accuse someone of being a serial criminal when charges weren't pressed?

The question isn't about criminality, but about violating the personal conduct policy. Would there have been a suspension for a single incident? Maybe not, but maybe.

Definitely seems like Watson got an "economy of scale" break here.

I will say that Watson seems like an ignorant, entitled child in these cases, and while it doesn't make any of it okay, he may honestly not have known better, having been coddled and having snatch thrown at him just for being good at football for most of his post-puberty life. Pre-frontal cortex still forming when he was doing this crap. He seemed genuinely surprised to find out women might get upset at him just offering them his junk - and had trouble processing what that meant.

Sorry about you feeling uncomfortable. Never were the intentions. Lmk if you want to work in the future. My apologies.​

"Lmk if you want to work in the future." I mean... wtf dude.

NFL should understand that a lot of these young guys don't have their impulse control and social processing down when they enter the league, and teams should sit the rookies down and make very clear what's not okay in the real world. 21-year-olds still make really bad decisions they wouldn't make five years later.

 

[DJ]

The whole "no prior" thing goes out the window when, at least, 26 women come forward. Stop using a strawman argument. Girl #1 is the 1st time, 2-26 are all incidents after the prior. The fact that people failed to find out about this disgusting behavior until after the fact is absolutely irrelevant. It absolutely points to a repeated, offending, pattern.

Like I said - I would have likely suspended him for the year. I believe at that point the statute of limitations would have run out - and the NFL can move forward knowing that none of the prior issues can continue to aggravate the process.

FWIW - I thought Ben got off too light as well, and that was like 20 years ago...considering all that has changed - at some point players need to start being held accountable for their actions. We are talking about a league where guys are suspended for years for marijuana or 1 parlay bet, and yet can beat on their wives, girlfriends, women, without fear of repercussion. Something is completely off.

This.

 

[wilwhite]

...and if Watson breaches the condition?

When people list other players who got long suspensions for seemingly mild stuff, it's really because of breaching conditions.

 

[DJ]

weed is bad dept

View attachment 303757

Amazing that drugs draw a stiffer sentence than what Watson did.

 

[Manster7588]

If they tack on punishment to this decision, it wont be Watson case that gets thrown into the courts. His case will be completely irrelevant. It will be the CBA and the language of this whole process that will go to court.

.....and that is why he wont add on to the suspension. It threatens the whole process.

How? The CBA is a legal binding agreement between the Business (NFL) and it's Employees (Players).

There's little if anything a court could do to change.

If the players want to change the CBA they'll need to wait until this one expires.

 

[DJ]

I think the NFL appeals and Goodell ups it to 8 or doesn't appeal at all. It isn't a good look to have an independent judge rule 6 games and increase it on your own all the way to a year or to indefinite. It makes a mockery of the process that we all already know is a mockery but the NFL is pretending isn't.

8-10 games would be fair.

 

[jarntt]

Goodell is going to sign off on this punishment. The difference between 6 and 10 games in this one case is not worth the fight that would happen should he try and tack on more to this punishment.

I'm not sure what he will do but I think you are over simplifying it. Does the league want the precedent for cases like this set at 6 games? To me that is as much a part of the equation as what he should have received and both to me say appeal. But, the league may not.

 

[DJ]

I'm thinking most of Watsons massages were through the team.


Maybe the Browns will go to
17325 Euclid Ave
Cleveland, Ohio 44112
and hire a team masseuse.

Or have supervision of said massage.

 

[Manster7588]

The legality of certain clauses in any collective bargaining agreement go to court all the time.

If the NFL put a clause into the CBA that says it can whip players and the players get double pay for putting up with it so they sign off on it, it doesn't mean it is legal.

This is really the first time this whole punishment system has played out. Eventually it probably will end up in court. But I doubt Goodell thinks this case is so bad in terms of being off on what the punishment is and what it should be that he risks the entire process being thrown into upheaval in the courts.

In most cases involving CBAs courts will tell you to go rework the CBA, as you agreed to it.
This goes for both sides.

 

[jarntt]

think only being an accusation might make a difference from the others?

20 plus settlements say otherwise. Come on dude. Stop pretending this guy isn't guilty.

 

[Manster7588]

...and if Watson breaches the condition?

It could cum to that

 

[DJ]

20 plus settlements say otherwise. Come on dude. Stop pretending this guy isn't guilty.

Exactly.