Deshaun Watson is an individual who inspires extraordinary action based upon what he is willing and able to do on and off the field. The Cleveland Browns stunned the NFL when they offered him a five-year contract that was fully guaranteed as part of their lure to acquire him via trade. That was on top of giving up three first-round picks and other draft resources last year.
It turns out the former Pro Bowl quarterback isn’t finished inspiring new precedents. The NFL has reportedly updated its Personal Conduct Policy to strengthen its ability to hold individuals accountable through discipline for what they do outside the realm of their profession.
Watson served an 11-game suspension last year, shortened from one of at least a full season, after it was determined that the claims examined of five (out of dozens) massage therapists accusing him of sexual misconduct had merit.
Sue L. Robinson, an independent arbitrator, essentially agreed with the ruling but not the discipline, reducing it to 11 games, arguing that appropriate precedent for actions disciplined under the same policies did not rise to that level. Perhaps the league believes the strengthened policy will give them greater protection to uphold their disciplinary decisions in the future.
Jenny Vrentas writes for the New York Times that “The additions would allow the league to make a stronger disciplinary response to players or other employees who engage in behaviors like those Watson was accused of”.
She also writes that the changes were in response to the judgment by Robinson. The article notes that language that describes the actions Watson was accused of has been added to the list of offenses that allow the league greater leeway to levy harsh disciplines, such as sexual assault “involving threats or coercion”.
Another key phrase now included in the policy describes “a pattern of conduct”, which would certainly apply to Watson’s case…or rather cases. Many, many cases, as well as a description of “offenses that involve planning”.
All of these elements are applicable to what Watson was accused of. He is said to have contacted numerous independent massage therapists requesting their service via social media, such as Instagram, hiring them for private sessions, some of which were carried out in a hotel suite furnished by his former team, the Houston Texans.
Many of them accuse Watson of coercing them, successfully or otherwise, into engaging in sexual acts with him during the course of the massage. He has acknowledged under oath to having engaged in sexual acts with some of the massage therapists but described them as consensual.
In six games on the field last season, games he got to play in because of the nature of the Personal Conduct Policy as written as of last year, Watson completed 99 out of 170 pass attempts for 1,102 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
He was named the Rookie of the Year in 2017 and then made the Pro Bowl with the Texans in each of his next three seasons before sitting out the 2021 season amid a contract dispute and request for trade. He was finally traded in March 2022, leading up to which point the allegations surfaced. It was only after it was determined he would not face criminal charges that teams began formally submitting trade offers.
