Kyle Brandt reacts to Deshaun Watson suspension: 'It pisses me off to even talk about it'
Quarterback Deshaun Watson won't play for the Cleveland Browns for at least the first six games of the season after it was announced that he'll be suspended for six games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
The six-game suspension was handed down by former federal judge Sue L. Robinson, who was asked to rule on the matter in her role as an independent NFL disciplinary officer.
Six games is a suspension length that hasn't gone over well with many, and you can add Good Morning Football co-host Kyle Brandt to the list of people who have voiced their frustration.
Speaking to his co-hosts on the day of the ruling, Brandt voiced his displeasure at the fact that Watson suffered no financial ramifications. He also brought up past precedent set by the NFL, which makes the length of Watson's suspension seem arbitrarily short. Notably, Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for six games in 2010 after being accused of sexual assault by two women. The suspension was later appealed down to four games.
Other notable NFL suspensions seem harsh compared to what Watson received as well.
Atlanta Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley was suspended for the whole 2022 season for betting on one of his own games. Josh Gordon was infamously suspended for over 25 games throughout his career for marijuana infractions. Tom Brady was suspended for four games for allegedly deflating footballs to his liking.
That's not even mentioning the many players who have been punished for using PEDs, which was a point Brandt brought up in his rant.
"You start to lose track of the human element of this story. This is not a player that's being suspended for PEDS, or even gambling. This is a very poignant human story involving women and there's this thing about well, it's not 30, it's not two dozen, it's five. Who cares if it's one? Do you understand? It could be one and there's also this non-violent phrase that's being thrown out like it's some kind of Band-aid. The word is coersive. And I look at six and I find it very light," Brandt said. "I hope it doesn't stay that way personally. I think that Deshaun Watson leveraged his status as an NFL player against women. In my opinion. And I think it happened more than one time and I think it was was in closed doors in small rooms against women who were probably intimidated. And it pisses me off to even talk about it."
"Frankly it pisses me off to see the number six," he continued. "And I don't think it's going to stay that way and I hope it doesn't."
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