The hearing of Deshon Watson before the jointly appointed disciplinary officer of the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association, Sue L. Robinson, is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, league sources told ESPN on Saturday.
Robinson will listen as the NFL expects to push for Watson’s “prolonged” removal, while the NFPA defends the Cleveland Browns quarterback, who was accused of harassing, assaulting or touching 26 women during massage meetings when he was with Houston, Texas. The NFL is likely to base its proposed discipline on only part of the testimonies of these women, a source said, as the league failed to talk to a number of women who interacted with Watson.
At one point, Watson faced 24 civil cases accusing him of sexual abuse and misconduct during massage sessions. He agreed to settle 20 of these cases.
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Robinson has no experience with decisions in cases involving NFL players, although one source said her decision could come in a week, but it could also take time to training camp. The NFL hopes for clarity on this case before the start of training camp in late July.
Once Robinson has ruled, Watson will have the opportunity to appeal. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell can either rule on the complaint or call in an independent trustee.
Robinson, a former member of the Delaware District Court for more than 25 years, now emerges as one of the most influential people for the upcoming NFL 2022 season. – but also numerous trademark infringements and antitrust issues.
During her tenure, she was the first female Chief Justice for Delaware County, and was elected to serve in the United States Judicial Conference.
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