Steelers fans react to Deshaun Watson suspension news
By Tommy Jaggi
Football fans are not happy with the suspension Browns QB Deshaun Watson just received. Here’s how Steelers fans and media reacted to the news.
After being involved in a civil suit that saw Deshaun Watson being accused by 24 different women, many initially thought that the quarterback’s punishment would be quite severe. Some in the media predicted a year-long suspension while others thought he may be suspended indefinitely.
However, I regret to say that I wasn’t shocked by the slap on the wrist that was handed to Watson for his offenses. Recently, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that federal judge Sue L. Robinson has found that Watson violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy, but he will be suspended for just 6 games.
As you can imagine, this decision did not sit well with fans. Numerous NFL players have been suspended for far less, and when it comes to possible sexual misconduct, they aren’t holding their tongues. Here’s how some Steelers fans and media personnel reacted to the Deshaun Watson suspension news:
What’s {also} sad about the Watson.verdict is the part the NFLPA plays in this. At what point does the NFLPA - or any player union- realize that aggressively supporting players who do bad things hurts the players as well as the league?
— Steelers Takeaways 🌗 (@PittsburghSport) August 1, 2022
6 is indeed a much smaller number than 24…especially since the 24 is referring to actual living people and not football games
— jordan defigio (@fidgenewton) August 1, 2022
I know everyone is going to see a ton of tweets comparing the Calvin Ridley situation to Deshaun Watson, but man the optics of everything associated with both look progressively horrible.
— Jarrett Bailey (@JBaileyNFL) August 1, 2022
One key factor that gets ignored: The Steelers wanted Ben suspended, feeling he was out of control. They gave the NFL no pushback. The Browns just want Watson to play, &Watson was going to sue.
— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) August 1, 2022
Deshaun Watson had 22 more accusations against him than Ben Roethlisberger had, and got the same initial suspension.
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) August 1, 2022
Where are you @nflcommish? Time to step up.
— Mike Nicastro (@MikedUpSports1) August 1, 2022
Lol 6 game suspension no fine.
— SteelerNation (@SteeIerNation) August 1, 2022
Deshaun Watson essentially got all that money from the Browns to buy silence from all these women so he could play as much football as possible.
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) August 1, 2022
There's your truth.
Ben Roethlisberger, 2 accusations, suspended 6 games
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 1, 2022
Deshaun Watson, 30 accusations, suspended 6 games https://t.co/UF5zRILFcN
I have my doubts that Roger Goodell will appeal to himself here. The NFL has a ton of skeletons in the closet that he doesn't want out there, and the NFLPA will sue if Roger levies a heavier suspension.
— Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) August 1, 2022
According to Schefter, the NFL now has three days to decide whether or appeal Watson’s six-game suspension. With all of the inconsistencies when it comes to suspensions in the past, it certainly seems like Watson should have to endure a much longer punishment.
Steelers have a right to be upset
It didn’t seem like all that long ago that Ben Roethlisberger found himself in a similar situation. He was accused of sexual assault and ultimately suspended six games despite his civil charges being dropped. The biggest difference between his situation and Watson’s was that there was only one woman accusing Ben. Watson had 24.
Obviously, one is too many, but you would think that Watson’s discipline would have been amplified because of the number of women who accused him. It was not. This just becomes another inconsistency when it comes to NFL suspensions.
Last year, Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for 17 games after it was discovered that he was gambling on football games. Apparently, this is much worse in Roger Goodell’s eyes.
Look at some of the other suspensions handed out in recent years and tell me there’s no inconsistency here. Former Steelers and Raiders receiver, Martavis Bryant, was suspended indefinitely for marijuana, DeAndre Hopkins was suspended 6 games for PEDs, and Darren Waller was suspended 16 games for substance abuse.
Even Steelers fans would agree that Vontaze Burfict — who was suspended 12 games for targeting — didn’t deserve a punishment twice as long as Watson’s.
Trending. 6 former Steelers draft picks who may get cut after training camp. light
It is important to consider that Deshaun Watson did sit out the entire 2021 season as all of the legal issues were running their course, but concluding that he deserved just a 6-game suspension for his involvement in 24 civil lawsuits seems like just a slap on the wrist. Fans are going to have a hard time letting this one go, and I can’t say I blame them.