The Deshaun Watson disciplinary hearing got started on Tuesday. So far, not much information has emerged from the proceedings.
Mark Maske of the Washington Post added this nugget to the broader narrative earlier today -- the hearing is expected to last “several days.” Maske adds that it’s not known when Judge Sue L. Robinson will make her decision.
The biggest question continues to be whether and to what extent Judge Robinson will allow the NFL Players Association to develop and present the argument that Watson’s punishment must be proportional to discipline imposed, or not imposed, on specific owners who may have violated the Personal Conduct Policy in recent years.
If Judge Robinson imposes any discipline on Watson, Commissioner Roger Goodell will have the ability, on appeal, to increase the punishment. It’s possible that the NFL entered the process asking for a lot, with the goal of ultimately imposing something less than what the league seeks.
It’s also possible that Goodell, whose job was believe in jeopardy (at leas temporarily) in 2014 over the league’s failure to impose sufficient discipline on Ray Rice, will do whatever he can to give the NFL the end result it current seeks -- an indefinite suspension of at least a full season.