The NFL, as expected, is closing in on making a decision regarding Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
At the May ownership meetings in Atlanta, Commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear that things are moving toward a conclusion.
“I can’t give you a timeline,” Goodell told reporters, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “We are nearing the end of the investigative period and then it will be handled by our Disciplinary Officer.”
As we’ve explained, the Disciplinary Officer — jointly hired and paid by the NFL and NFL Players Association — will make a decision on discipline, after the NFL proposes a punishment. Goodell then handles any appeal, unless the Disciplinary Officer decides to impose no discipline at all.
The clock is ticking. It’s time for the NFL to initiate the process. It sounds like it will happen sooner than later.