3 Franchise NFL QBs who were suspended for off-the-field issues 

The impending suspension of new Cleveland Browns franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson has been dominating the NFL headlines this off-season. Despite multiple grand jurys deciding not to indict the former Clemson star, he still has 24 civil cases unresolved and an NFL investigation which is nearing a conclusion.

The universally held belief across the NFL community is that Watson will soon find himself under suspension. He would not, however, be the first franchise signal caller to find himself taking an enforced vacation.

Here, we look at three franchise quarterbacks who were suspended for off-field issues.

#3 Jamies Winston

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Atlanta Falcons

In 2018, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston was subject to an NFL investigation after accusations that he inappropriately touched an Uber driver in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Winston was quick to deny the allegations, however the league did not believe him, concluding that he had acted in an inappropriate and sexual manner towards the driver identified only as "Kate" before slapping the former Heisman winner with a three game suspension. Kate had the following to say about the incident:

"I started driving, and right away, Jameis behaved poorly by shouting, in part, homophobic slurs at pedestrians. Waiting in line at the drive-thru of Los Betos Mexican Food, he reached over and he just grabbed my crotch."

Following the release of the NFL findings, he issued an apology to Kate, without confirming what he was apologising for. In the same year this incident occurred, Winston also settled a civil case relating to an allegation of rape whilst he was a student at Florida State University.

#2 Tom Brady

Wild Card Round - Tennessee Titans v New England Patriots

Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion and man bestowed with the moniker of "GOAT", has achieved it all and more in this 22 year career. But he does have a dark cloud forever hanging over his legacy. The cloud is otherwise known as "deflategate".

Prior to the 2014 AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts, it was alleged that Brady had requested that the pressure in the Patriots game balls be lowered, to an illegal limit. In layman's terms, this makes the ball easier to grip for the quarterback and the receivers.

After an interception by the Colts defense, their equipment manager requested that the ball be tested, kicking off one of the biggest controversies in NFL history, which would reach a final resolution in the US Supreme Court, and involve some of the most renowned physicists on the planet.

Brady would be left with a $1 million fine, a four-game suspension, and a permanent mark against his name for some, however, over eight years later and the arguments still rage on.

#1 Ben Roethlisberger

In 2010 Ben Roethlisberger found himself in hot water with the league, relating to allegations of sexual misconduct made by a 20 year old college student. The incident is said to have taken place in a Georgia nightclub, where Roethlisberger "aggressively hit" on his accuser in the restroom.

Charges were later dropped, but that didn't stop the NFL from conducting their own investigation, which culminated in a six-game suspension for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, along with a scathing rebuke by Commissioner Goddell, who wrote to "Big Ben" and said:

"There is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible, or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans. Your conduct raises sufficient concerns that I believe effective intervention now is the best step for your personal and professional welfare."

Roethlisberger's suspension was later reduced to four games for the progress he made.