“Every victim of sexual assault is watching [Roger] Goodell and the NFL right now,” Buzbee mentioned at a news conference in Houston. “And this idea that Mr. Goodell is going to hand it off to someone else independent, we don’t buy it. Mr. Goodell, what will you do? It’s never too late to do the right thing. That’s what these women and those watching are expecting.”
The NFL filed its written appeal Wednesday of Watson’s punishment. The league is in search of an indefinite suspension of a minimum of one full season, a superb and required remedy, in accordance to an individual acquainted with the case.
The NFL argued for such an indefinite suspension to Sue L. Robinson, the disciplinary officer collectively appointed by the league and the NFL Players Association underneath the revised procedures for resolving instances underneath the private conduct coverage established by the 2020 collective bargaining settlement. Robinson delivered her ruling Monday, calling Watson’s habits “predatory” and “egregious” however citing disciplinary precedent for the six-game suspension.
Either aspect had the suitable to appeal to Goodell or an individual designated by him. Goodell selected Harvey, now a associate on the Patterson Belknap regulation agency in New York.
The NFL mentioned in a press release that its appeal “addresses whether, based on the findings made by Judge Robinson, the discipline should be modified to include a professional evaluation and treatment as determined by medical experts, an appropriate fine, and a longer suspension. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Mr. Harvey’s written decision ‘will constitute the full, final and complete disposition of the dispute and will be binding upon the player(s), Club(s), and parties’ to the CBA.”
Harvey has labored with the NFL on different points, together with its variety insurance policies. The NFL cited his “deep expertise in criminal law, including domestic violence and sexual assault” for this project.
The NFLPA didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark about Harvey’s appointment. The union has till Friday to file its written response to the NFL’s appeal. The appeal is to be resolved on an expedited foundation, underneath the phrases of the private conduct coverage, and there might be no new proof or testimony submitted to Harvey past what was out there to Robinson.
“We never expected much from the NFL’s investigation,” Buzbee mentioned earlier Thursday. “We never expected much from their flawed process. But, you know, even when you know you’re going to be slapped in the face, that slap still hurts and it still stings.”
Ashley Solis, who filed the primary of greater than two dozen civil lawsuits towards Watson, mentioned she had “received multiple death threats, had angry people approach me in public and have had hundreds if not thousands of people say terrible and vile things about me on the internet.”
She mentioned she “fell into a deep depression” earlier than receiving supportive letters and emails from throughout the nation.
“What do the actions of the NFL say to little girls who have suffered at the hands of someone perceived to have power?” Solis mentioned at Thursday’s news convention. “That it’s not a big deal? That they don’t care? … That’s what I’ve taken from their actions. So instead, I’ll let my actions say something different to those same little girls. … So if anyone has ever tried to abuse their status and overpower you, remind them that they picked the wrong one to try that with. That’s exactly what I am: the wrong one.”
Buzbee mentioned the NFL “bungled” its investigation and disciplinary course of. He mentioned that 10 of his purchasers had been made out there to the league’s investigators. More would have been out there, Buzbee mentioned, if the NFL had been . Buzbee mentioned his purchasers had been requested by the league’s representatives what they had been sporting throughout their interactions with Watson.
The league rejected the submission of sworn statements, in accordance to Buzbee, who added that none of his purchasers was requested to testify on the three-day listening to performed by Robinson in late June.
Of the 25 lawsuits filed towards Watson, one was withdrawn and one stays lively. The different 23 ladies have agreed to settlements with Watson, Buzbee beforehand introduced.
The NFL responded Thursday by saying in a press release that its investigators interviewed 49 folks, together with 12 of the ladies who sued Watson. The league mentioned it tried to interview all the accusers however 12 others “were not made available by their attorney or did not feel comfortable being interviewed.” The NFL additionally cited its overview of “substantial documentary evidence” as a part of the method by which it produced a 215-page investigative report.
Even so, Buzbee learn a listing of destructive reactions that he mentioned he’d obtained from his purchasers to Watson’s six-game suspension. One lady expressed being “disgusted and heartbroken” and made to really feel “invisible,” Buzbee mentioned.
“It is a given that the NFL’s disciplinary process is a juggled mess,” Buzbee mentioned. “It has been so inconsistent in the past that it’s hard to take it seriously. And worse yet, everyone knows that the NFL’s record on women’s issues is sketchy and sad. At best, it can be described as inconsistently dismal.”
