Deshaun Watson ruling suggests a 6-game suspension, nothing finalized yet

The pending suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has been coming for a long time. After all of the court hearings, the case was sent to Sue L. Robinson’s desk. It was there where she would make a ruling on Watson’s suspension.

Monday it was reported Watson’s suspension could be six games.

The reason the previous sentence said “could” instead of “is” falls on the fact Robinson’s decision is not necessarily final. Robinson’s decision will now go to the desk of Roger Goodell who can accept the ruling, or impose his own suspension.

Sounds weird, right? But this is what was agreed upon between the NFLPA and NFL in the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). As an example, if Robinson recommends an 8-game suspension, Goodell could push for a one-year suspension. There would be another round of appeals, but the process is far from over. With the suspension recommendation being 6-games, the ruling now goes to Goodell’s desk.

On Sunday, the NFLPA released a statement saying they, and Deshaun Watson, would “stand by” the ruling made by Robinson.

This simple fact led many to believe Watson’s camp, and by proxy the Players Association, believed the ruling would be favorable to the player, not the league.

While this is far from over, it is nearing an end, and it certainly impacts the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Watson’s recommended suspension means he would miss the Week 3 Thursday Night Football game in Cleveland, but would be available for the Week 18 game in Pittsburgh. The first game with the Steelers would be the only AFC North matchup Watson would miss as the Browns are scheduled to travel to Baltimore in Week 7.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of training camp and the preseason.