Deshaun Watson’s suspension: How ‘fair’ is it compared to other NFL players’ cases?

Deshaun Watson is already practicing at the Cleveland Browns training camp with his teammates like nothing ever happened. But something did happen. 24 women came forward accusing him of sexual assault and/or misconduct. The consequences were a slap on the wrist. He was suspended for six games by Judge Sue Robinson, who found him guilty of violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

How Watson’s punishment compares to other NFL players

Ben Roethlisberger

Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault twice, once in 2009 and once in 2010. He was not officially charged for either incident, but he was suspended by the NFL for six games, which was then reduced to four by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. We can’t have a two-time Super Bowl winner sitting out that long now, can we? Even if he is a rapist, apparently. In both cases, Roethlisberger was accused of rape by two different women, one of whom said she developed PTSD and depression.

Antonio Brown

A former trainer of Antonio Brown’s, Britney Taylor, accused Brown of sexually assaulting her on three different occasions in 2017 and 2018. She filed a civil lawsuit in 2019, the same year that another woman said Brown had been sending threatening messages to her. In 2020, the league suspended him for eight games for violating the personal conduct policy. The Buccaneers then signed him and he took them to the Super Bowl. He was suspended three games for basically lying about his covid 19 vaccination status. Three for a lie. Eight for sexual assault.

Ray Rice

Former Ravens running back Ray Rice was charged with aggravated sexual assault against his then-fianceé, Janay Rice in August 2014. There was security footage of Janay lying unconscious in an elevator, and Ray pulling her out of it. Charges were dismissed in May 2015. The NFL suspended him for two games. Later, footage of him punching Janay was released by TMZ, which was enough to get him released by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the league. But wait, that was overturned as well when he appealed the ruling, leaving him with just an 11-game suspension and eligible to play for any team willing to sign him. Fortunately, no team was, and he never returned to the league.

Ezekiel Elliott

In 2016, the Cowboys current no. 1 running back was accused by an ex-girlfriend of domestic abuse, showing photos of her injuries. Elliott was suspended for six games after a year-long investigation. The woman had reported Elliott’s abuse several times to different authorities. Elliott contested the six-game suspension in court and his team won several proceedings, but he was denied an injunction and served the suspension.

Derrius Guice

Former Washington running back Derrius Guice faced three charges of assault and battery, one of destruction of property, and one of strangulation. He gave himself up to police in August 2020, and it was only then that Washington released him from the team. The charges were dismissed in the summer of 2021 when they reached a financial settlement. The league suspended him for six games for violating the personal conduct policy. He is currently an undrafted free agent.

Kareem Hunt

Former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt was caught on security cameras shoving and kicking a woman in a hotel. He was not charged, but the Chiefs released him from the team. The Browns picked him up while the investigation was still going on and the league eventually suspended him for eight games.

Greg Hardy

Former Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy was involved in a domestic violence case in which the NFL investigation concluded that he used physical force against Nicole Holder, his ex-girlfriend in four separate instances (at least). Deadspin published images of the injuries she sustained during the altercation. He was suspended for 10 games, but the charges were later dropped when Holder failed to appear in court. Hardy continued to deny the charges and appealed the 10-game suspension. It was reduced to four.

These are just a handful of domestic violence or sexual assault cases that NFL players have been accused of and gotten away with, with no more than a “tsk tsk”. The league has to do better at holding these players accountable.