“This could drag on now into the regular season” - NFL analyst expects Deshaun Watson ruling to be changed

On Monday, Judge Sue L. Robinson announced her verdict in the Deshaun Watson case. It was also announced that the quarterback had one civil lawsuit left to settle. Upon hearing the news about the verdict and the last lawsuit, many assumed this 18-month saga was at its end.

However, one NFL analyst claimed that, instead of an end to the story, it simply marks the end of a chapter. In other words, the story is far from over. Speaking on the Around the NFL podcast, NFL analyst Marc Sessler concluded that too many levers remain unpulled for this to serve as the conclusion. Here's how he put it:

"Six games [was not] a shocking result. I mean, a lot of people were sort of putting it in that zone as a real possibility. But it's a disappointment because I think of the fact that you've got DeAndre Hopkins, [who was suspended] six games for peds."

He went on to bring up Josh Gordon:

"You've got someone like Josh Gordon, who missed 25 games for smoking weed. It just looks disproportionate to all of that. There really isn't a precedent for this case. I would be surprised that the NFL is done with this."

Lastly, he concluded that the court battles could continue into the regular season:

"I think that if they want to really look at this whole case and say, 'This is how we feel about this kind of behavior from a player,' they're not done. This could drag on now into the regular season. The NFLPA could reverse and say, 'We're fighting this in court.' I mean, this is not going to end in a couple of weeks."

Deshaun Watson's eventful 2022

Cleveland Browns Offseason Workout

There are still five months left in 2022, but Deshaun Watson has already seen enough life-changing events to last him for, at least, the next five years. At the start of the year, the quarterback was facing criminal charges for sexual misconduct as a member of the Texans' organization. He also faced one civil lawsuit for each of the 20-plus women who had accused him.

Earlier this year, Watson escaped criminal charges over the allegations. After avoiding jail time, the quarterback was shopped around by the Houston Texans. Numerous teams inquired, but the Cleveland Browns offered the quarterback the winning bid in the form of a $230 million fully guaranteed contract.

Over the next several months, Watson slowly whittled down the civil lawsuits until there was just one left. At the same time, the quarterback's suspension was being mulled over. On Monday, August 1, it was announced the quarterback had been suspended for six games.

Today, the ball is in the NFL's court as to whether the league will appeal the decision.

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If any of the above quotes are used, please credit the Around the NFL podcast and H/T Sportskeeda.