Well, it’s been a busy week for the NFL, and we haven’t even gotten to Thursday’s Hall of Fame game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders. On Monday, former federal judge Sue L. Robinson levied a six-game suspension against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson related to multiple accusations of sexual assault. The decision satisfied almost nobody for all kinds of reasons (we were especially gobsmaeked by Judge Robinson’s definition of “non-violent sexual conduct), but that’s something the NFL can appeal if it so chooses.
A little more than 24 hours later, the six-month investigation into the Miami Dolphins’ alleged tampering with both Tom Brady and Sean Payton, and whether Dolphins owner Stephen Ross exhorted his then-head coach Brian Flores to intentionally lose games for more favorable draft picks, came to a conclusion.
Former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White and, a team of lawyers from the Debevoise law firm, deduced that the team indeed had impermissible contact with both Brady and Payton, through there was no reported proof of any “tanking.” The investigation did not go into Flores’ accusations of racist hiring practices, most likely because Flores’ lawsuit is still live.
