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It was learned on Thursday that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would not personally handle the league’s appeal of the ruling from disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson that said Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson should be suspended for six games regarding allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.
Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reported later in the day that Goodell has selected former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to hear the NFL’s appeal. The league has since confirmed that news via its website.
“Mr. Harvey served as the Attorney General of New Jersey and is now a partner at the Paterson Belknap firm in New York,” the NFL said in an official statement. “He has also served as a federal prosecutor. He has deep expertise in criminal law, including domestic violence and sexual assault, and has advised the NFL and other professional leagues on the development and implementation of workplace policies, including the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. Mr. Harvey has also served as the Commissioner’s designee in other arbitrations.”
Per ESPN’s Jake Trotter and The Associated Press, Harvey is also a member of the NFL’s Diversity Advisory Committee.
As was the case during the disciplinary hearing in front of Judge Robinson, the NFL is reportedly asking that Watson receive an indefinite suspension that would prevent him from playing for at least one entire season. Trotter noted that the league also wants Watson to be fined and to undergo “treatment.”
“The NFL’s appeal addresses whether, based on the findings made by Judge Robinson, the discipline should be modified to include a professional evaluation and treatment as determined by medical experts, an appropriate fine, and a longer suspension,” the league added in its Thursday statement. “Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Mr. Harvey’s written decision ‘will constitute the full, final and complete disposition of the dispute and will be binding upon the player(s), Club(s), and parties’ to the CBA.”
Watson’s legal team has settled 23 of 24 civil lawsuits brought against him, and two grand juries declined to indict him earlier this year. The 26-year-old has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Backup Jacoby Brissett is on track to start for the Browns if Watson misses any games because of a suspension.
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