NFL. Watson ultimately receives an eleven-match suspension.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, under investigation for sexual assault on several women, will serve an eleven-game suspension.

“Deshaun Watson is suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 regular season, without receiving pay. And he is fined $5 million for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, » the court said in a statement.

« In addition, Watson will promptly submit to a professional evaluation by inappropriate behavior experts and follow their treatment program, » added the NFL, which clarified that the move follows an agreement reached with the players’ union ( NFLPA) and that it puts an end to the disciplinary procedure initiated against the footballer.

Watson assumes

“I am grateful that the disciplinary process has come to an end (…) I apologize once again for any pain this situation may have caused. I take responsibility for the decisions I have made. Going forward, my focus is on working to become a better version of myself on and off the pitch,” Watson said.

Deshaun Watson has never stopped denying any wrongdoing. No criminal charges have been brought against him, despite civil suits filed by 25 women, most of them massage therapists by profession, who accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior during sessions, between March 2020 and March 2021, when he was playing for the Houston Texans.

TTY