Sue L. Robinson, the disciplinary officer jointly appointed by the NFL and the players’ union, is expected to issue a decision Monday on whether the Cleveland Browns quarterback deshaun watson violated the league’s personal conduct policy following allegations of sexual misconduct, sources confirmed to ESPN.
In the meantime, Watson has agreed to settle three of the four remaining active civil lawsuits against him, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee told ESPN’s John Barr on Monday morning.
If Robinson, a former federal district judge, imposes any punishment, either side will have three days to file a written appeal. In that case, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell or his designee “will issue a written decision that will constitute a full, final and complete disposition of the dispute,” under the terms of article 46 of the collective agreement.
The NFL Players Association already made it clear in a statement Sunday night that it will not appeal.
“Prior to Judge Robinson’s decision, we wanted to reiterate the facts of this proceeding,” the union said in a statement. any investigation of personal conduct policy. A former federal judge, appointed jointly by the NFLPA and the NFL, conducted a full and fair hearing, read thousands of pages of investigative documents and impartially reviewed the arguments of both sides. All players, owners, business partners and stakeholders deserve to know that our process is legitimate and will not be clouded by the whims of the League office. That is why, regardless of his decision, Deshaun and the NFLPA will uphold their ruling and we ask the NFL to do the same.”
Robinson heard arguments from the league, the union and Watson’s attorney during a three-day hearing in his home state of Delaware in late June. The parties discussed a possible settlement throughout the hearing, but were unable to reach an agreement.
The league and Watson’s side have engaged in more settlement talks in recent days, sources told ESPN’s Dan Graziano, but neither side felt they were close to a deal. The most Watson’s team indicated it was willing to offer was a suspension in the range of six to eight games, according to sources. The best the league indicated it was willing to offer was a 12-game suspension and a significant fine, in the $8 million range, sources said.
Watson has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct during massage sessions in civil lawsuits brought by 25 women. The games cited in the lawsuits took place between March 2020 and March 2021, while Watson was a member of the Houston Texans. One of the 25 lawsuits was dismissed after a judge ruled in April 2021 that the plaintiffs must modify their requests to reveal their names. In June, Watson settled 20 of the 24 lawsuits he faced; on Monday, he agreed to settle with three of the remaining four, according to Buzbee, who represents the women suing Watson.
Last month, the Texans reached settlements with 30 women who filed claims or were prepared to file claims against the organization for its alleged role in the allegations against Watson.
Although two grand juries in Texas declined to bring criminal charges against Watson earlier this year, the NFL has been investigating whether he violated its personal conduct policy since last year. The NFL interviewed Watson over several days earlier this summer. League investigators also spoke with several of the women.
Watson has always denied any wrongdoing and said she does not regret any of her actions during the massage sessions. Watson also said he cooperated with the NFL investigation and “candidly answered all questions” put to him by league investigators.
The Browns traded for Watson in March, sending three first-round picks to the Texans. Cleveland then gave Watson a new five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract, the richest deal in NFL history for any player.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said last week that Jacob Brissett he would become Cleveland’s starter if Watson were suspended. The Browns had Sunday off from training camp but are scheduled to resume practices Monday.
CBS Sports first reported that Robinson’s decision was expected on Monday.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and The Associated Press contributed to this report.