Earlier this afternoon, Deshaun Watson and the NFL finally reached a settlement regarding his punishment.
The NFL announced Watson will be suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season as well as receive a $5 million fine. Following the news, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam made a somewhat controversial comment.
“I think in this country, people deserve second chances,” Haslam told reporters. “Is he never supposed to play again? Is he no longer supposed to be part of society? That’s what we’re going to do. We gave Kareem Hunt a second chance and that worked out pretty well.”
Now the NFL world knows why. Haslam admitted that Watson is getting preferential treatment because he’s a star quarterback.
“You can say that’s because he’s a star quarterback. Well of course, but if he was Joe Smith, he wouldn’t be in the headlines every day. We think people deserve a second chance,” he said, via Mike Garafolo.
This is hardly the first time the Browns have put their foot in their mouth during the course of the Watson saga.
Watson’s suspension will carry through the Browns’ bye week. The first game he’ll be eligible to play in – coincidentally or not – will be against the Houston Texans in Week 13.