The NFL Is Appealing Deshaun Watson's 6-Game Suspension

Buckle up, folks. This is going to be a long, messy, and bumpy ride.

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I know the entire world is saying that 6 games is far too light of a punishment for a pattern of sexual behavior that was described as "more egregious than any reviewed by the NFL", but this part of the process should unanimously be regarded as an absolute joke. What is the point of Sue L. Robinson then? This undermines the entire process that was agreed upon. Why hire Sue L. Robinson to make these decisions if on the very first one you're going to appeal it? 

Forget the topic for one second, the NFLPA certainly has a right to be upset here. And I expect them to sue. An independent federal judge made her ruling, and the NFL didn't like it, so now the NFL is going to appoint their own judge to hear the appeal. That's backwards. I can't wait for the NFL to announce that Roger Goodell has in fact appointed Roger Goodell to hear the appeal. Judge, jury, and executioner. I wonder who he'll side with?

Anyways, the question now becomes how long does Goodell suspend Deshaun for (it's being reported they want an indefinite suspension), and does the NFLPA get a temporary injunction while this is all sorted out? Because if that happens, folks there's a damn good chance this isn't over in 1 month and Deshaun Watson suits up in Week 1. Which, by the way, would be a spectacle in itself...

Deshaun vs. Baker in Week 1 is a very real possibility right now. Are we sure this isn't a simulation we're living in? This script is crazier than a movie director could come up with. Because from the way I understand it, I do think Deshaun will ultimately get suspended for a year. But that doesn't mean it'll be this year. Remember Tom Brady had his Deflategate suspension overturned in 2015 before ultimately serving it in 2016. 

I'll say this: I'm not shocked the NFL appealed the decision, especially after reading Judge Robinson's report that said Watson violated the Code of Conduct so egregiously. But I can't believe they didn't just pin the decision on Robinson and choose to move on. The media and general public would be upset, but they had the perfect out. Instead, this is now going to be front page news for a very, very long time. And I think a lot of skeletons are going to be dragged out of the NFLs closet on this one as well. They could've just said, "hey, the judge made her ruling and while we don't like it one bit, we respect it", but instead they're going to open a big can of worms.