CLEVELAND — On Monday, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported that when it comes to Deshaun Watson's potential suspension, the current expected range is between 2-8 games.
When it comes to the Cleveland Browns' view on the matter, it appears the team is expecting the higher end of that range.
Citing a league source on Tuesday evening, Florio reported that the Browns are "bracing" for Watson to receive an eight-game suspension to start the 2022 NFL season. A decision on Watson's suspension is expected to be made in the coming days by former U.S. District Judge Sue L. Robinson, who has been jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association as the case's independent arbiter.
"That obviously doesn’t mean anything as to the eventual outcome,
Florio writes. "It only means that the team has come to the subjective conclusion, one it would never admit publicly, that it expects to not have Watson for eight of 17 games in 2022."
So long as Robinson issues a suspension, either side can make an appeal, which would then be heard by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell or his designee. But considering that the league reportedly entered last month's disciplinary hearing seeking an indefinite suspension lasting no less than one year and Watson's camp wanted no suspension, eight games could be viewed as a sweet spot in which neither side would appeal.
Dating back to last year, the 26-year-old Watson has been accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct, including harassment and assault during his time with the Houston Texans. While two Texas grand juries have declined to indict the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback on criminal charges, he still faces potential punishment from the NFL if it's found he violated the league's Personal Conduct Policy.
Ahead of last month's hearing, Watson settled 20 of the 24 civil lawsuits he was facing regarding the allegations, with a 25th having been dropped. Last week, the Texans, reached settlements with 30 women regarding allegations that they enabled the Clemson product's behavior during his time with the team. In a statement, the Texans said they admitted no guilt in making the settlements.
Veteran backup Jacoby Brissett is expected to start in Watson's place during his potential suspension.
