More than two years after the first civil lawsuit was filed against Deshaun Watson, disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson has suspended the Cleveland Browns quarterback for the first six games of the 2022 season, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Robinson, jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association to rule on the case and administer any punishment, listened to arguments from the league, the union and Watson's attorney during a three-day hearing held in her home state of Delaware in late June. The NFL had been pushing for a suspension of at least a year, while the union and Watson's attorney argued that the quarterback should not be suspended at all. The sides discussed a potential settlement all the way up through the hearing, but they could not agree to a deal.
John Paulsen's take: Projections have been updated to reflect a six-game suspension for Watson, though the league can still appeal the ruling. This is good news for the Browns' skill position players since they'll have a top-10 quarterback for roughly two-thirds of the season, so Amari Cooper, David Njoku and the rest of the offense gets a bump. Watson's draft value will be higher than where he falls in the rankings due to the available replacement value for the first six weeks. Managers could stream the position until Watson's return.
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