Two weeks ago, the NFL announced that it would appeal the six-game suspension given to Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Although the regular season is almost here, a final ruling hasn’t been announced.
Well, there’s a reason why former New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey hasn’t issued a final ruling on Watson yet.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Harvey isn’t expected to issue a final ruling until the league and the union reach an impasse in their settlement talks.
“The message on Monday was that a settlement remained viable,” Florio wrote. “At this point, every minute that Harvey doesn’t issue a ruling means that a settlement can still happen. And because the NFL, as a practical matter, controls Harvey, he’ll wait until the NFL tells him that settlement talks have hit a brick wall. That’s the bottom line. No ruling until no settlement.”
Florio added that Watson is willing to accept an eight-game suspension. The NFL, however, wants him to be suspended for at least 12 games.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has already said the league is seeking a full-season suspension.
“Because we’ve seen the evidence. She was very clear about the evidence,” Goodell said, via Mark Maske. “She reinforced the evidence that there [were] multiple violations here and they were egregious and it was predatory behavior.”
While a suspension of that magnitude is still possible, it sounds like we’ll have to wait a bit longer to hear about a final ruling on Watson’s situation.