Somers: Deshaun Watson deserves more than the weak punishment dispensed by an arbiter

In her first notable freelance work for the NFL and the NFL Players Association, arbiter Sue L. Robinson broke new ground Monday by re-defining “egregious.”

The retired judge, hired to determine if Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson should be punished for alleged inappropriate sexual behavior with female massage therapists, issued her ruling Monday.

She called Watson’s behavior “egregious” and suspended him for the first six games of this season with no fine. Under her ruling, the only money Watson would forfeit is $345,000 of salary under a contract designed to make a suspension this year less costly for Watson.

His salary from 2023 to 2026?

$46 million per year. All guaranteed.

To Robinson, egregious apparently means less than it does to most of us. No wonder the NFLPA released a statement on Sunday, the day before the ruling, saying it would not appeal whatever decision Robinson would make. It had to know that Watson was about to get his hands tapped.

This is the first major case since the NFL’s personal conduct policy was revised in 2020. Under the previous policy, Commissioner Roger Goodell had complete control: from the initial ruling through the appeal. The revision allowed for an arbiter to make the first ruling, in this case Robinson, who was a federal judge for more than 20 years. But the final call is still Goodell's.

The NFL, believed to be pushing for a year’s suspension, can appeal basically to itself. Goodell’s decision cannot be appealed.

Goodell has three days to make the decision to appeal, but that’s about three days longer than he should require. What’s egregious would be anything less than a 10-game suspension for Watson and a substantial fine.

As the policy’s final voice, Goodell over the years has been weak and inconsistent. He botched the Ray Rice case in 2014, suspending the Ravens running back for only two games at first, then increasing it after video emerged of Rice hitting his future wife.

Goodell goes notoriously light in punishing NFL owners, his bosses, even though the conduct policy states they are held to a higher standard.

That's been a point of contention for the NFLPA, but it doesn’t mean Goodell should go along with suspending Watson for only six games.

Watson has not been found guilty by the legal system. Two grand juries in Texas declined to indict him. But the conduct policy doesn’t hold players to that standard. They don’t need to be convicted to be punished, and Watson deserves more punishment than six games and $345,000.

Twenty-five civil lawsuits have been filed against him since March of 2021. One was dropped and settlements have been reached in all but one of the remaining 24. The Texans, Watson’s former team, reached settlements with 30 women last month.

Robinson considered only five of those cases, but those should have been enough to warrant a stronger punishment.

Watson has maintained his innocence, but it’s hard to fathom.

He met at least 66 women for massages over a 17-month period, according to The New York Times.

In the civil cases, woman after woman – Watson apparently didn’t employ male massage therapists – told basically the same story. Watson would contact them, hire them, then harass and/or assault them during the massage.

The details are disgusting and Watson’s profession of innocence is unbelievable. Professional athletes I have known find massage therapists they like and stick with them. They hate working with an unfamiliar therapist.

Watson apparently relished it, for a very sick reason.

For that, he’s suspended only six games? He forfeits only $345,000 of a $230 million contract? All of which is guaranteed?

For Watson to miss the same number of games as Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who is suspended due to a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance, is unfair and an embarrassment to the NFL.

Related: Cardinals' Hopkins says failed drug test was 'contamination' that he still cannot explain

Those who think Watson’s punishment is sufficient note that Watson missed all of the 2021 season because of the allegations.

True. But he wasn’t suspended. The Texans paid him not to play, and Watson, maintaining his innocence, agreed to the arrangement.

The NFL’s history involving cases involving the behavior of players, owners and others toward women is full of weak and inconsistent responses.

Goodell should recognize that and come down hard on Watson. By doing so, he would begin to show the league values women in ways beyond wearing pink cleats in October.

Reach Kent Somers at Kent.Somers@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @kentsomers. Hear Somers every Monday at 7:30 a.m. on The Drive with Jody Oehler on Fox Sports 910 AM.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Somers: NFL should show it cares about women in months other than October