Player Discipline in the NFL: Arbitration or Arbitrary?

Authors

Adam Walker

Abstract

Since the Houston Texans drafted him in 2017, Deshaun Watson has statistically been one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League (“NFL”). Watson led the Texans to the playoffs in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons before internal organizational issues led to Watson requesting a trade after the 2020 season. By the end of March 2021, twenty-one women had filed civil lawsuits alleging Watson of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. Watson did not immediately face any discipline from the NFL, but the Texans made Watson inactive for every week of the 2021 season in light of the accusations and the rift between the organization and the quarterback. In June 2022, a twenty-fourth woman filed a lawsuit against Watson. By August 2022, Watson has settled twenty-three of the twenty-four lawsuits, and a Texas grand jury declined to criminally indict Watson.

Recommended Citation

Adam Walker, Player Discipline in the NFL: Arbitration or Arbitrary?, 2023 J. Disp. Resol. (2023)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/jdr/vol2023/iss2/13