Did Deshaun Watson get off too easy?

In March of 2021, the first sexual assault case was filed against the Cleveland Browns quarterback; Deshaun Watson. As of October 2022, 24 women have come forward and claimed Watson has sexually assaulted them in some way. Although it was an executive decision across the National Football League, the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, and a former New Jersey attorney general Peter C. Harvey ultimately made the decision to suspend Watson for 11 games.

Watson was also fined 5 million dollars and is being forced to undergo mandatory counseling, but we have to ask, is this enough? A 5 million fine is 1/9 of his yearly salary. According to www.criminaldefenselawyer.com, in the state of Ohio, one sexual assault case can lead to imprisonment anywhere from 3 to 11 years. Yet despite Deshaun Watson facing public having 24 accusations against him, he is still a free man.                   

According to www.cleveland.com, some fans are upset about Watson’s suspension and say he committed no crimes, while some refuse to watch any games for the rest of the season. Surprisingly, even after many women have come forward and confirmed that Watson has assaulted them in some way, his girlfriend Jilly Anais is still with him. She was even spotted at one of Watson’s games before his suspension.

The origin of many of these accusations originate from massages therapy professionals, it’s said that Watson met at least 66 women for massages over a 17-month period. At first, disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson made the decision to suspend Watson for 6 games after just a few sexual assault cases filed against him. That was ultimately changed after more and more women started coming forward. Watsons 2022-2023 year is officially over.