Original (August 1, 2022) We don’t need precedence to know Deshaun Watson got off easy with a suspension of only six games after facing civil lawsuits from 24 women for alleged sexual misconduct.
However, when compared to another recent discipline handed down by the league this year, Watson’s suspension looks especially egregious. And NFL fans were quick to point it out.
In March, Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for at least the entire 2022 season for betting on NFL games. The thinking with Watson was that if gambling warranted a year, multiple allegations of sexual misconduct would surely warrant something more severe — if not a lifetime ban from the NFL.
Instead, Watson received a third of Ridley’s suspension. And while fans were wondering how that could be, one of Ridley’s teammates, Cordarrelle Patterson, was also moved to post something on Twitter.
Free my dawg!! pic.twitter.com/ce1Gx8BSLI
— cordarrelle patterson (@ceeflashpee84) August 1, 2022
Patterson apparently wants Ridley’s suspension reduced, which is fair considering there were no victims in his offense. But the real issue isn’t that Ridley’s punishment was too harsh — it’s that Watson’s isn’t harsh enough.
Ridley was suspended a year because past violators of the league’s policy on gambling were also suspended a year. Similarly, Watson was suspended six games because that’s in line with past “non-violent sexual conduct” violators, as disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson termed it.
Deciding punishment based on what the NFL has always done without questioning whether it should be revisited is not only outdated, but a sure way to get it wrong every time.
That Watson was suspended at all is clear acknowledgment of his guilt. Robinson called his behavior “more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL.” But suspending him six games, whether intentional or not, sends a message that his conduct was not as bad as betting on games — or any other violation that resulted in longer suspensions — when it’s objectively worse.
