According to Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal, the NFL intends to punish Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson with an indefinite ban that lasts no less than one year in accordance with the league’s personal-conduct code.
Watson has been accused by many women of sexual assault or inappropriate behavior during massage sessions that took place in 2020 and 2021. Although as of June 13, two more were still being handled, twenty of the 24 civil claims filed against the quarterback have been resolved.
The claims have been refuted by Watson. In March, two grand juries also decided not to charge him with a crime. According to Jenny Vrentas of the New York Times, over the course of 17 months from 2019 to 2021, Watson had massage sessions with at least 66 women. Beaton predicts that Watson’s NFL future will be resolved within the week of July 4, if not earlier. This following week there will be an arbitration hearing. Five of the allegations against Watson are being taken extremely seriously by the NFL, and the league will decide on the appropriate punishment. The NFL is anticipated to impose a punishment that lasts at least a year, but it might be longer.