Browns’ Deshaun Watson ‘really sorry’ for off-court actions as NFL suspension appeal pending

Deshaun Watson is playing in an NFL game for the first time in 19 months with the Cleveland Browns taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the club’s first preseason game. Although the quarterback may participate in the exhibition, his status for the regular season is still very uncertain.

Disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson, who initially oversaw Watson’s case, recommended a six-game suspension due to the quarterback recently facing 24 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions during his time with the Houston Texans. The NFL has since appealed this decisionas is their right in the ABC, and is pushing for a one-year ban.

Before heading to TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville for the show, Watson spoke to CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala and was specifically asked about Robinson’s note in his decision that Watson showed no remorse for his shares.

“I’m so sorry for all the women I’ve impacted in this situation,” he said. “My decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position, I would really like to have them back. I want to keep moving forward and growing and learning and showing that I’m a real person of character. I want to keep pushing forward.”

Regardless of whether Watson’s suspension remains at six games or is increased during this appeal, he will be out of the squad for a significant period of time.

“I know I have a lot of work to do, especially on the pitch to make sure I’m ready to play whenever that time comes, whenever I can get back on the pitch,” Watson said when was asked how he would spend it. time on a personal level. “The most important thing is that I want to continue to advise. I want to make sure that I grow as a person, as an individual for my decision-making on and off the pitch. I want to make sure that I “evolves in the community as much as possible. And that’s for the Cleveland community, that’s for the NFL community and beyond.”

At a special league meeting in Minneapolis, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently called Watson’s actions “blatant” and said the quarterback represented “predatory behavior” while explaining the league’s decision to push for a longer suspension.

An Associated Press report noted that Watson would accept an eight-game suspension and a $5 million fine if he and the league reached a settlement. However, it looks like the NFL is looking for an even longer ban than that.

Former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, whom Goodell personally appointed, is currently overseeing the NFL appeal.