CLEVELAND — Deshaun Watson maintained his innocence after learning his fate for the 2022 season—an 11-game suspension. He won’t be paid during that period and will have to pay a $5 million fine. 

What You Need To Know

  • Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for 11 games and fined $5 million

  • The settlement was an agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association

  • Initially, Watson was suspended for six games. The league appealed and wanted a full season suspension

“I’ll continue to stand on my innocence and keep pushing forward and I’ve always stood on not sexually assaulting or disrespecting anyone,” said Watson.

He said he let the process play out.

“Throughout this process, the NFL did what they had to do. The NFLPA communicated with the legal side,” Watson said. “Like I said before, I focused on being out here, being the best teammate, player and quarterback I can be for the Cleveland Browns.”

A league disciplinary officer initially suspended Watson for six games. The NFL appealed and was aiming for a full-season suspension. The league and the players’ union agreed to the altered punishment.

“We went into it understanding that there was a suspension,” said Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. 

Browns co-owner Jim Haslam said he wasn’t sure how many games Watson would miss. 

“I don’t think we had any way of knowing. I don’t think anybody knew how many games Deshaun would miss. We didn’t know definitively until today,” Haslam said. 

Spectrum News asked Browns fans about the suspension. They agreed that some sort of punishment was expected.

“I felt there was people that needed to be satisfied and they would have been, there would have been more uproar if he played a full season. I don’t think anybody wanted that,” said fan John Davis. 

Another fan agreed.

“What he did is what he did and you gotta get punished for it,” said fan Brandon Pursley.

The NFL and the Browns each chipped in $1 million on top of Watson’s $5 million fine that will create fund aimed at helping victims of sexual misconduct and preventing future cases. The NFL said Watson’s disciplinary process ends with the settlement. 

Watson must undergo treatment and pass an evaluation before the NFL will reinstate him. He won’t be reinstated until Nov. 28. If he is reinstated then, the first game he can play in is against the Houston Texans, his former team. 

Stefanski said Watson will not play in Sunday’s preseason game against the Eagles. He also said Watson will not play for the rest of the preseason in order for the other quarterbacks on the team to get some reps.

Watson will spend much of practice during the season on the sidelines while waiting for his suspension to end, according to Stefanski.