How does Deshaun Watson's rumored suspension stack up against the longest NFL suspensions of all time?
Deshaun Watson's Cleveland Browns career is about to get very complicated, with the NFL likely to dish out a suspension of around six games to the quarterback.
Watson has been embroiled in controversy for over a year now. The former Houston Texans star has been accused of multiple sexual assaults and misconduct.
Despite these issues, the Browns traded for Watson earlier this year and gave him a huge contract. However, they will now likely be without him for the start of the 2022 season.
Watson has maintained that he is completely innocent. While there isn't a criminal case against him at the moment, he currently faces 24 civil lawsuits and the league is expected to make a decision on the length of the suspension before late July.
Rapsheet on McAfee mentions between 4-10 games as probably the range of a Watson suspension.
The length of suspension hasn’t yet been clarified, but Ian Rapoport has suggested that it could even stretch to 10 games. Regardless, Watson's possible punishment could be on par with multiple other suspensions in the NFL in the past.
There have been instances where players have been given indefinite suspensions based on jail sentences and other factors. However, this list purely looks at players who were handed suspensions for a certain number of games.
#5 Chris Henry – 8 games (2007)
The story of Chris Henry, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals, is a sad one. He endured an extended period on the sidelines starting 2007, when Roger Goodell handed down an eight-game suspension to the wide receiver. The suspension came on the back of Henry's numerous arrests.
At that point, he had already been arrested four times in the span of 14 months, which is difficult to believe for a regular starter in the NFL. It wasn’t Henry’s first suspension either, with the player having missed two games in the 2007 season for violating league policies.
Unfortunately, Henry lost his life in 2009 after being dragged from a moving truck that was being driven by his fiancée.
#4 Josh Brent – 10 games (2014)
Off-field incidents usually bring about the most severe penalties from the NFL commissioner. But Josh Brent was given a 10-game suspension in 2014 after being convicted of manslaughter. Brent was behind the wheel of a car whist intoxicated and ended up killing his practice-squad teammate, Jerry Brown Jr.
Brent’s suspension was for 10 weeks, which equated to 10 games in the 2014 season. He wasn’t even allowed to visit the Dallas Cowboys' facility until week 6.
It wasn’t the first drunk-driving instance in Brent’s life, as he admitted to a prolonged problem with alcohol abuse.
In addition to a suspension from the NFL, he spent 180 days in prison.
#3 Vontaze Burfict – 12 games (2019)
Vontaze Burfict’s NFL career featured a long list of misdemeanours. A helmet-to-helmet hit on Jack Doyle of the Indianapolis Colts was the final straw for the NFL. They handed Burfict a suspension for the remainder of the 2019 season, which equated to 12 games.
Burfict’s first punishment came in the form of an ejection in 2017. He was suspended for four games in 2018 after violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy. He also had a history of questionable hits in games, including one on Antonio Brown that has people talking to this day.
The NFL cited an "extensive history of rule violations" when handing down this punishment to the former Bengals defender.
#2 Adrian Peterson – 15 games (2014)
The NFL handed down a lengthy suspension to star running back Adrian Peterson in 2014 after he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor reckless assault charge. The issue started with a child abuse case which saw Peterson use a switch to physically punish one of his children.
The former Minnesota Vikings star felt that this style of physical discipline was a matter that concerned only himself and his family. However, the negative headlines it created for the NFL were unwelcome.
Peterson was suspended without pay by the league for the entire 2014 season, which equated to around 15 games. He did appeal against the suspension, but to no avail and he wasn’t reinstated until April 2015.
Peterson played the opening game of the 2014 season, but was on the exempt list until his ban was made official. This meant the current free agent was effectively banned for 15 games.
#1 Adam 'Pacman' Jones – 16 games (2007)
Adam Jones really struggled to adapt to life in the NFL, with trouble seeming to follow him everywhere he went. He had numerous unsavory incidents off the field that seemingly ruined his ability to play consistently.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell very clear here—it’ll likely be a suspension/fine or nothing for Deshaun Watson. Commissioner’s exempt list not in play. https://t.co/vSMlcuWhQU
After a testing two years with the Tennessee Titans, the NFL suspended Jones for the entirety of the 2007 season, which amounted to 16 games. The punishment was handed down to Jones as a result of an off-the-field incident.
Jones was arrested five times after entering the NFL in 2005. He finally pushed the league's lawmakers over the limit when he was involved in a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club that left one individual paralyzed.
Goodell didn’t change his mind after Jones’ appeal, with the suspension lasting the entire season.