Will Deshaun Watson face any suspension from the NFL? It doesn’t sound like it

Right now, Deshaun Watson is facing 22 allegations of sexual misconduct, and the star quarterback has been waiting patiently to see if he will be dealt before the NFL trade deadline on November 2nd.

Well, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Watson may not even face any suspension.

Absent a material change in the criminal investigation into his sexual misconduct allegations, Deshaun Watson is indeed believed to be eligible to play for a team should the Houston Texans trade him before the Nov. 2 deadline.

This is according to multiple sources, and it supports what NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said publicly as recently as Tuesday evening at the NFL owners meetings. Though many in league circles believe this claim is dubious and that the NFL could pull a “fast one” on a team potentially trading for Watson, I’m told the league is steadfast about not placing Watson on the commissioner’s exempt list if there are no criminal charges filed.

So if this is the case, then what is the hold up? Why haven’t the Miami Dolphins pulled the trigger? Earlier this week, Ian Rapoport stated that Watson will only waive his trade clause to play for the Miami Dolphins. He is putting a lot of pressure back on the Texans with this move.

The Texans could sit and wait, but that would be an expensive thing to do. At this point, the Texans are fed up with Watson, and would like to turn the page, but they really screwed themselves with this huge contract.

These allegations are brutal, but they are not criminal. So because of that, Watson could technically be dealing with a civil case only. Many players deal with civil cases throughout the year. As long as he is not charged criminally, he is going to be in great shape.