Earlier this week, the long-expected news of a Deshaun Watson suspension became public. A jointly-appointed arbiter, former judge Sue Robinson, determined that Watson violated the league’s personal conduct policy amid numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and will be suspended for six games during the 2022 NFL season. The ruling does not include any sort of fine for the recently-acquired Cleveland Browns signal caller.
The suspension was far less than what the league reportedly wanted — the NFL apparently believed the allegations against Watson were worthy of him receiving an indefinite suspension that would at least span the entirety of the upcoming season. But in the aftermath of the ruling, it was reported that the NFL could try to appeal the decision, and on Wednesday afternoon, we learned that the league will indeed go down that path.
The NFL is appealing Deshaun Watson’s six-game suspension.
Buckle up.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 3, 2022
The league put out a statement explaining how they are able to do this, citing a provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that either side has to appeal so long as they file said appeal within three days of the ruling being handed down. Now, per the statement, the appeal will “be heard by the Commissioner or his designee,” and Roger Goodell will have to “determine who will hear the appeal.”
Statement from NFL spokesman @NFLprguy on the appeal, which has been filed: pic.twitter.com/n8tceBYinJ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 3, 2022
The evening before the decision was handed down, the NFLPA issued a statement saying “regardless of [Robinson’s] decision, Deshaun and the NFLPA will stand by her ruling and we call on the NFL to do the same.”