Suspension uncertainty could linger for awhile for Watson, Browns

The speed at which multiple teams began to pursue a trade for Deshaun Watson following getting cleared of nine criminal charges by the Harris County grand jury was amazing. Shortly after that grand jury did not indict the then-Houston Texans quarterback, the Cleveland Browns, along with other teams, were reported to be interested in trading for him.

The rest of the story, so far, is known:

• The Browns were out

• Watson switched gears and chose Cleveland

• Browns offered him a huge guaranteed contract

• Official trade terms came out

• Another grand jury decided to not indict him on one other charge

• Cleveland introduced him to the media and the team’s owners spoke as well

With the speed at which teams showed interest in Watson, it was generally thought that they had an idea of what punishment the NFL would hand down to the quarterback. History gave some idea of what a suspension could look like.

It seems that thought was in error as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network stated that the punishment is very much up in the air. Beyond the length, you’ll hear him say that Watson could be suspended after the season starts:

While the “no games” part of his comment could get the most attention, that Rapoport has no feel for how long or when a suspension could come is the biggest news. As he notes, the NFL/Roger Goodell may want to avoid making a ruling quickly with fear of new information coming out. That could lead to Watson starting the year for the Browns before being suspended during the season.

It seems that the Browns may not have an idea of what kind of suspension their new franchise quarterback is expected to get nor when that suspension could be handed down.