FOUND: Deshaun watson suspension examining process precedent - What They Never Told You

Deshaun Watson has been suspended six games for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. While a lengthy suspension—it is 35% of the 2022 regular season—my initial reaction is that Watson was treated lightly under the new disciplinary system that has been collectively bargained by the NFL and NFL Players Association. While we have heard a lot about Watson’s misbehavior toward women stemming from two dozen civil suits against him for over a year, that behavior was not judged to be excessive compared to previous precedent involving the personal conduct policy.

Several players have been disciplined similarly or more harshly under the policy during Roger Goodell’s tenure as NFL commissioner. And the vast majority of those players are said to have mistreated only one woman, perhaps two. Watson has been described as mistreating many women and has reportedly made financial settlements with 23 of them. Four of those women testified against Watson in the disciplinary hearing. Yet Watson’s discipline is the same, or even less, than previous cases involving one woman.