Deshaun Watson: NFL super agent discusses suspension after settlement

NFL super agent Leigh Steinberg took some time to speak on the lingering Deshaun Watson suspension and what the recent settlements could mean

Leigh Steinberg has been a sports agent for 41 years and has represented some of the biggest names in the business — from Troy Aikman to Patrick Mahomes. He also served as a technical consultant on several films such as Any Given Sunday and Jerry Maguire.

He even made an appearance in Jerry Maguire and is credited as the inspiration of the sports agent for the film. His knowledge of the sports world goes far beyond most of us, which is why it was an honor to speak with Mr. Steinberg on Wednesday about the recent settlements and lingering suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

When asked his overall take on the settlements, Mr. Steinberg said there’s no telling if the remaining four will be settled but did say there should be optimism.

"All are represented by the same attorney, so it’s one-stop shopping so to speak. But only the player and attorney can speak to the remaining cases. — Leigh Steinberg"

Mr. Steinberg also added that even with a settlement, the league remains steadfast that the suspension will not be affected. He pointed out that this is a “very sensitive issue” and that the league is still trying not to have another Ray Rice situation which was a “major PR/policy failure” on their part.

This brought up the next question which was: ‘while the suspension length might not be affected, do you believe the settlements will speed up the timeframe for a suspension announcement’?

"I do, it was a positive step forward. Anytime you can close a case, it helps. — Leigh Steinberg"

From there, the subject of the NFLPA was brought up. Mr. Steinberg was asked if their recent move to apply pressure in the form of the Dan Snyder incidents, Steinberg said that won’t have an impact.

"Those are disconnected issues with an owner being held to a different standard. That makes this apples to oranges."

Cleveland added Watson to their roster early in the offseason knowing there would be a suspension. At the time, there were 22 cases of sexual misconduct lingering over his head and that number grew to 24 – with two more being mentioned as forthcoming.

Now with 20 of them being settled, Watson could start moving forward.