Deshaun Watson - indefinite suspension

In comment 15741470 Ron from Ninerland said:

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You are usually a good poster so it is surprising that you've buried your head in the sand over these two issues. The point is both Kraft and Watson are involved with possible sexual misconduct. One was never investigated by the NFL, the other is being threatened with a long suspension. You say the authorities found no misconduct was found in the "spa" where Kraft was getting his jollies. You can say the same thing about Watson. No criminal charges were filed.

You're really being silly. Watson is not facing suspension because he got happy endings. Even a lot of them. He's facing suspension because the league finds the accusations that he forced women to be credible. The league has always been clear that criminal charges, let alone conviction, are not a necessary condition for them to find a player's misconduct worthy of suspension, and this is an example of that.

Would the league have suspended Kraft if there was evidence that he forced, or tried to force, women to play with his junk when they didn't want to? Who knows? I certainly think it's possible they would have soft pedaled it for an owner, imposing little, or at least lesser, discipline. Similarly, would the league try to suspend Watson if it came out that he liked massages with happy endings, but there were no claims of misconduct? I doubt it, but again, who knows? But those would be analogous situations. The actual situations are not, and it's entirely reasonable that there is a significant difference in discipline between one person who was never accused of anything non-consensual, and one who's been accused by a couple dozen women. What the right level of discipline is, in either case, is obviously subjective and we all may have different opinions. But it's really quite straightforward that they're different situations and should not face the same level of discipline, regardless of status as player or owner, and citing Kraft is not a compelling case with respect to Watson's potential punishment.

In comment 15741431 BH28 said:

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So if you are trying to compare Kraft to Watson, neither was criminally convicted for some sort of sexual liaison. And then there is the whole Dan Snyder thing. Which is sleazy at best and probably has criminal wrongdoing at worst (but probably not enough to be convictable). I'm not defending Watson here, just saying that the NFLPA does have a point about double standards when it comes to owner behavior vs player behavior.

One guy went to a place that performs sexual favors for money and the other guy forced himself upon countless women who, according to them, did not want any sexual interaction. Totally different. If it was Kraft who did the latter, I would be shitting on him too.

Comparing Kraft-who I'm no fan of-to Watson is...a leap.

This scumbag’s defense is now “what about” the owners? I guess he’s right that the owners lack integrity because if they had any then not employing a sexual predator like Watson would be an easy call. But boy, oh boy, he sure can play, so I guess let him sit for the year?

Fuck the Browns too. What kind of shit hole franchise makes that piece of garbage the face of their franchise? Browns fans are going to take their kids to cheer for Watson? For everyone lining up to kick Mara Tisch in the balls for their ownership shortcomings, and sure there’s been some, at least they never went after Watson.

In comment 15741726 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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Comparing Kraft-who I'm no fan of-to Watson is...a leap.

I’d say it’s more like a…reach.

Taking any morality out the argument here, he should’ve just settled with the ones he could have in the first place. That was either a dumb ass move on his part or his legal team. Judging by the person, I think it was likely Watson.

He’s obviously shown he’s a scum bag but, this argument of what any owners did in the past is weak. The owners don’t play on the field. The average fan couldn’t give two shits about them. Watson was one of the better QB’s in the NFL before this and was essentially going to be/if not already the face of the franchise post Watt. The NFLPA has a mountain to climb.

In comment 15741259 cjd2404 said:

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In comment 15741249 Giantsfan79 said: Quote: it says the NFLPA is gearing up to compare Watson's issues to multiple owners issues (of which no punishment has occurred), so this could devolve quickly. Isn't Kraft an exact match that the players association can point to

While what Kraft did was not legal, he did not sexually assault anyone. He paid for a handjob

As soon as I heard about this trade, I knew it would end badly.

And I've followed so many comments here about two game suspensions, why didn't the Giants get him (as if!), and so on.

The most probable outcome of these investigations is that this guy never plays another down in the NFL.

Who in their right mind would offer a contract that says, "If you can't play because of repercussions from things you did before you got here, we'll pay you anyway"?

The NFL is a terrible organization, in the sense that they are always sucking up to popular causes outside the realm of football - as if their view on breast cancer (for example) is relevant to the science or to the politics of it.

But never mind. This guy, and all the stories that have yet to surface, is something they don't need and will wind up getting rid of.

And the Browns?? OMG! How badly does it suck to be them?

In comment 15742287 Jim in NH said:

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The most probable outcome of these investigations is that this guy never plays another down in the NFL.

Yeah, not likely.

but have not grasped the seriousness of it. Stuff like this doesn't get swept under the rug anymore, it does not often get hidden from view as in the pre-Internet days, and nor should it. Playing in the NFL is a privilege. Owning rare talent and a huge contract shouldn't be an excuse. Browns mis-calculated along these same lines as Watson's supporters, and it's an ugly, awful look.

In comment 15742674 Mad Mike said:

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In comment 15742287 Jim in NH said: Quote: The most probable outcome of these investigations is that this guy never plays another down in the NFL. Yeah, not likely.

Like I said, I think it's 50/50. There's a decent chance he gets suspended indefinitely until "the legal process plays out" which could take years.

The league could also say "3 year suspension", the Browns terminate the contract, and 3 years later, he's now been out of football 4 years and no one signs him.

There's also a decent chance he gets 6-8 games and plays this year. No one knows yet.

He said he heard the NFL is looking at punishing the Texans as well. That they had a private room at the facilities for this because they knew that was Watson's thing. It got out of hand during covid when they weren't allowed at the facility so he went out to find it on his own.