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Deshaun Watson will be suspended for 11 games in the 2022 NFL season, with the final judgment on his sporting future finally coming on Thursday afternoon.
In the form of a settlement signed with the league, Watson will be suspended until Week 13 of the regular season, when the Cleveland Browns face the Houston Texans. He will also be fined $5 million.
While there is also the small matter of attending counseling sessions as part of this agreement, the press-conference Deshaun Watson gave on Thursday was horrible.
It was painful to watch, and one can only imagine how distressing it was for those women who were wronged at the hands of the quarterback.
Deshaun Watson showed no remorse
Deshaun Watson would have been expected to be slightly contrite in his first press conference since the suspension was confirmed.
Remember, this comes after an episode that has lasted almost a year and a half and has seen his name dragged through the mud.
You would be forgiven for thinking that the player would hold his hand up, accept the incident for what it was, and vow never to put any other woman in such a situation again.
Yet, despite getting off tremendously lightly already, the Cleveland Browns quarterback acted the exact opposite way, almost like someone who has been enabled to misbehave again later.
He said:
“I’ve always stood on my innocence, I never assaulted or disrespected anyone, I have to push forward with my life and career. [I’ve apologized] for everyone that was affected by this situation, there were a lot of people that were triggered.”
These weren't the words of a man who held genuine remorse for his actions; they weren't even the words of a man who was sorry he got caught.
The truly worrying thing moving forward is that Deshaun Watson comes across as someone who genuinely believes he has done nothing wrong and is merely accepting a "punishment" to shut people up.
How do the women involved feel hearing this? Their cases are dismissed by the man in question while he gets to move forward with his life and career. What does this do to any female employee in the Browns building? How afraid and worried must they feel about working with someone who doesn't see any wrongdoing in their past behavior?
The NFL failed Deshaun Watson's victims
Deshaun Watson convinced the NFL of his remorse and regret in an interview over the weekend, just when he knew they were deliberating on his punishment.
However convincing his speech was, in not following through with making Watson acknowledge what he had done and forcing him to go to therapy rather than counseling, the NFL has failed his victims.
Deshaun Watson has learned no lessons. He got a year off to repair his body, has signed a record contract for an NFL quarterback, and will be able to keep most of the money.
What of the masseurs who were wronged at Watson's hands? They had to leave their jobs and careers and suffered emotional scarring as a direct result; where is their justice?
Roger Goodell can try and stand up as the hero of this piece as much as he likes… fighting against the initial judgment made by Sue L. Robinson, but in reality, he has done nothing at all.
What message does this send out to other young NFL players and college football players? Treat women however you want, and as long as you have enough money to settle issues out of court, you will still be treated like a star in the NFL. That isn't a healthy message and not one which Deshaun Watson's victims will accept.
Deshaun Watson has damaged the Cleveland Browns' name
Deshaun Watson joined a franchise that has always had a good reputation. They might not have provided fans with much joy on the field, but they were respected for their spirit and determination to get back into the league after Art Modell took the original team to Baltimore.
Yet, the way the franchise has bet on Watson in the search for glory is a little nauseating. Not only have they publicly alienated a quarterback who gave everything on the field in Baker Mayfield, but they have also enabled Watson to shrug off accusations against him.
They've fed into his belief that this was all a conspiracy against him and that he is innocent, not least by allowing Watson to publish a PR-centric statement via the Browns' social media network after his disastrous press conference earlier in the day.
Fans have already stated they will no longer support the Browns or go to games. While these small pockets of fans are inevitably replaceable, the damage to the franchise's reputation could be untold, irrespective of whether Deshaun Watson wins them a Super Bowl.
Many people have lost respect for the Cleveland Browns name and will never have any again. For what? All to get a quarterback marginally better than the one they already had.
