It's time for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to throw the suspension book at Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Time to treat him like the lying, manipulative, entitled, lawbreaking, disgusting multimillionaire professional athlete he is.
Remember when Watson told anyone naive enough to believe him that he had no regrets about whatever he'd allegedly done to cause 25 Houston-area massage therapists to claim he'd either sexually assaulted them or behaved inappropriately in their presence?
Not sure too many people believed him, but he held tight to his innocence as two Texas grand juries failed to indict him and independent arbiter Sue L. Robinson slapped him with a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Robinson later said Watson's complete "lack of expressed remorse" was one reason she elected to suspend him for as long as she did.
But then Goodell appealed that decision, presumably angered that it was both too short and minus an NFL-desired fine of around $8 million. As is his privilege as the ultimate protector of the league shield, Goodell quickly turned to Peter C. Harvey, a former New Jersey attorney general, to make a final ruling. There is no deadline for Harvey's decision, but he is expected to make that ruling in an "expedited" manner according to the league's collective bargaining agreement. It could come down at any time, and almost certainly within the next week to 10 days.
Just a hunch, but Goodell probably didn't pick Harvey because he has a reputation for leniency. He probably picked Harvey because his double-secret nickname is something like "Maximum Sentence" Harvey.
And all you need to know that such a penalty would be deserved comes from Watson himself.
Apparently deciding that having "no regrets" and no remorse might not play with Harvey, Watson told an in-house interviewer prior to the Browns' preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday that he was now sorry.
Completely reversing course as he did with such on-field skill at both Clemson and with the NFL's Houston Texans, Watson chose to apologize for his behavior, saying: "I want to say that I'm truly sorry to all of the women that I have impacted in this situation. The decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position I would definitely like to have back."
Hmmm. Last time I checked, saying you have "no regrets" and showing no remorse are pretty much polar opposites from "truly sorry."
Those words also sound contrived and insincere, as if having watched his stance of no regrets, no remorse and complete defiance fail to get him out of hot water, Watson has now chosen to apologize and embrace contrition.
Suspicious? You bet. And it's up to the NFL to call him on it, to suspend him for the entire season and fine him at least $10 million for behavior unbecoming a decent human being, much less a star quarterback who is expected to be the face of a franchise.
Few people learn from their mistakes unless they are forced to pay a price for those mistakes. As has been written before in this space, no one knows exactly what went on between Watson and the original 25 massage therapists who claimed he behaved as he shouldn't have. One civil lawsuit was thrown out. Twenty-three were settled. One remains. Another 41 of the 66 massage therapists Watson hired over a 17-month window apparently had no issues with him.
But to return to the two grand juries, Harris County (Texas) district attorney Kim Ogg said of those failures to indict: "I love the law. It's designed to get to the truth. That's really what people want. People, even when they clear the criminal justice system, often face accountability and repercussions in other parts of our legal system. And so I think to determine whether justice was done in this case, you're going to have to wait and see how it all comes out on the civil side of things and then through the NFL on the administrative side of things. And then people will determine whether that's justice."
When you go from "no regrets" to "truly sorry," a 180-degree flip if ever there was one, the only justice is to be treated as a liar and a creep and a criminal. The only justice is for Harvey to give Watson the 2022 season off, along with lightening his bank account of some of the $230 million the Browns have agreed to pay him to lead the franchise back to something approaching respectability on the field, because there would seem to be no way for the Browns or Watson to earn much respect away from the field.
Watson's words are empty. Harvey's words and ruling should make sure his 2022 Browns football season is, too.
Mark WiedmerContact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @TFPWeeds.