“I want to say I’m so sorry to all the women I’ve impacted in this situation,” Watson said. “My decisions that I’ve made in my life that put me in this position that I would really like to get back to, but I want to keep moving forward and growing and learning and showing that I’m a real person of character and I’m going to keep going. to move forward.”
Prior to the short interview, Watson repeatedly denied allegations of misconduct, including sexual assault and harassment involving more than two dozen women. He didn’t specify in the interview what he meant when he said “this situation.”
In her written decision, Robinson cited Watson’s “lack of expressed remorse” as a factor in the discipline she chose.
Watson is awaiting the decision of former New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey, who has been appointed delegate of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to hear the appeal.
When asked why the league keeps asking for a tougher punishment for Watson, Goodell said: “Because we’ve seen the evidence. (Robinson) was very clear about the evidence, she reinforced the evidence that there were multiple violations here and they were egregious and it was predatory behavior.”
“These are things that we’ve always felt were really important for us to address in a responsible way,” Goodell continued.
Watson’s suspension does not affect the three-game preseason. He started on Friday and managed just one pass in five attempts.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Watson sat out last season with the Texans due to trade demand as well as investigations into those allegations.
Earlier this year, the Browns traded three first-round picks for Watson, then signed him to a five-year, fully guaranteed, $230 million deal, the most guaranteed money in NFL history.
Twenty-four civil lawsuits have been filed in Texas against Watson; 23 were settled confidentially. Two grand juries declined to indict Watson on criminal charges.
CNN’s Jillian Martin and Ben Morse contributed to this report.
