The Cleveland Browns felt the absence of Deshaun Watson against the New York Jets in week 2 of the NFL season when they were beaten by the New York Jets. While Jacoby Brissett has put up some impressive performances, against both the Carolina Panthers and the New York Jets, Watson’s involvement could have helped the Browns to clinch the second game.

Deshaun Watson, who was facing sexual misconduct allegations by more than two dozen women, settled with the National Football League (NFL) on August 18. As part of the settlement, the quarterback was given an 11-game suspension and a fine of $5 million. The NFL also mandated compulsory counselling sessions for Watson as part of the settlement.

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The NFL hired former US district judge Sue Robinson to oversee the disciplinary process of Watson. Judge Robinson ruled a six-game suspension for the Cleveland Browns quarterback, however, the NFL suspended him for an additional five-game later. Reportedly, the league also wanted to ban Watson for at least one year for his violation of the NFL policy of personal conduct, however, that did not happen.

The 27-year-old will return from his suspension of week 13 of the 2022 NFL season, on December 4, against the Houston Texans, his former team, where the majority of his alleged sexual misconduct took place. Let’s take a look at the timeline of his return from his suspension.

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Timeline:

March 16-22, 2021: Attorney Tony Buzbee made an announcement on Instagram saying he will be filing a sexual misconduct lawsuit against Watson. He went on to file seven lawsuits against the quarterback at first but added another seven a couple of days later.

March 23-31, 2021: Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, accused a woman who was part of Tony Buzbee’s lawsuits against his client, of blackmail, on March 23. 

The number of lawsuits against Watson reached 19 on March 29. It once again went up to 21 on March 31.

April 2, 2021: The Houston police launched an investigation against Deshaun Watson after a complaint was filed against him. 

April 29, 2021: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league was taking the sexual misconduct allegations against Watson seriously.

May 21, 2021: Houston Texans owner Cal McNair’s lawyer tried for mediation between Deshaun Watson and the women who filed the lawsuits against him.

July – August 2021: Watson requested the Houston Texans for a trade. Meanwhile, the NFL completed interviews with 10 women who accused the Texans quarterback of sexual misconduct. Following that, Watson spoke with the FBI regarding the criminal investigations against him.

March 2022: A grand jury cleared the quarterback of criminal charges on March 11. A week later, the Texans traded him to Cleveland.

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 June 21 – July 15, 2022: Watson settled 20 of the 24 civil lawsuits against him. However, one of the remaining women filed a lawsuit against the Texans on June 27 for negligence. The NFL side agreed to a settlement with 30 women who accused Watson on July 15.

August 1, 2022: Former US district judge Sue Robison, who was hired as the disciplinary officer by the NFL, hands Watson a six-game suspension.

August 18: Deshaun Watson and the NFL reached a settlement for an 11-game suspension, which began in the week 1 game against Carolina Panthers. The settlement also said that his return will be subject to Watson being healthy and out of more legal trouble.