"What if Goodell appoints Baker Mayfield to handle the appeal?" - NFL fans have fun speculating identity of person set to handle Deshaun Watson appeal
Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson will be intrinsically linked for the rest of their NFL careers. Following the announcement of the NFL's plans to appeal the six-week suspension handed down to Watson, fans were quick to offer their suggestions of who should be appointed to oversee the case.
Needless to say, a popular choice among the NFL fanbase was new Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
@ProFootballTalk What if Goodell appoints Baker Mayfield to handle the appeal?
Whilst Mayfield was a popular choice, some fans had concerns that he may not be completely impartial.
@DollarDogNick @ProFootballTalk He'll never play another down of football 😂
But Mayfield was not the overwhelming favorite as that honor went to a guy called Goger Roodell. A large majority of the fans believed that he was a shoe-in to lead Watson's appeal.
@ProFootballTalk Independent Officer Goger Roodell https://t.co/1yu1ctIjWM
@ProFootballTalk Some guy named Goger Roodell hmmm
@ProFootballTalk Goger Roodell is handling it
@ProFootballTalk It's going to be Goger Roodell. https://t.co/ZfO8oorXle
Others had alternative suggestions, which included Judge Sue Robinson, Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, and former United States secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice.
@ProFootballTalk RUSTY HARDIN
@ProFootballTalk How about Sue L Robinson? Oh wait
@ProFootballTalk How ignorant to say Rice may handle it. If she’s going to become part owner of another team that would be a conflict of interest. Hell, maybe @nflcommish will let Florio handle it.
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Luckily, the services of Baker Mayfield, Goger Roodell or anyone else suggested by the NFL community will not be required. Commissioner Goodell moved quickly to appoint former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey.
Who is Peter C. Harvey? Roger Goodell's hiree for Watson's case
After a recent disciplinary hearing, Deshaun Watson was found to have breached the NFL's personal conduct policy. The case related to numerous accusations of sexual misconduct. The NFL's newly appointed disciplinary officer, Sue Robinson, issued the Browns quarterback with a six-week suspension, which he and the NFLPA accepted.
However, the NFL did not believe that the punishment was sufficient and appealed the decision. Commissioner Goodell subsequently appointed former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to handle the appeal.
NFL teams were just notified that former NJ Attorney General Peter C. Harvey is commissioner Roger Goodell’s designee to hear the appeal of the disciplinary decision involving Deshaun Watson, per sources.
Harvey has 40 years of experience practicing law after he graduated from Columbia Law School in 1982. His most high-profile role saw him serve as the New Jersey Attorney General between 2003 and 2007 under Governor Jim McGreevey.
His appointment may not bode well for the quarterback as he has an extensive history of strictly addressing violence against women. While acting as AG of New Jersey, he was at the forefront of a sexual-assault response team initiative.
Harvey is also a board member of Futures Without Violence, a nonprofit organization lobbying the government to enact policies to end violence against women and children.
Harvey may be a familiar name to NFL fans as he famously oversaw the league's appeal against Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott. He also helped develop the league's personal conduct policy and currently sits on its diversity advisory committee.