The NFL picked a former New Jersey attorney general Thursday to oversee the appeal hearing that aims to overturn a six-game suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The league said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell selected Peter Harvey, who has a background in prosecuting sexual assault cases, to hear the case that claims Watson violated the league’s personal conduct policy when he allegedly sexually assaulted women he hired as personal trainers and massage therapists. The 26-year-old quarterback has denied wrongdoing and claimed at least three of the cases were consensual.
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“Mr. Harvey served as the Attorney General of New Jersey and is now a partner at the Paterson Belknap firm in New York,” the league said in a press release Thursday. “He has also served as a federal prosecutor. He has deep expertise in criminal law, including domestic violence and sexual assault, and has advised the NFL and other professional leagues on the development and implementation of workplace policies, including the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. Mr. Harvey has also served as the Commissioner’s designee in other arbitration.”
Sue Robinson, a former federal judge, determined Monday that Watson violated the league’s conduct policy and issued a six-game suspension. The punishment was appealed on Thursday, with the NFL seeking a harsher sentence. Representatives for the league said it hoped for a one-year suspension for Watson.
Under the collective bargaining agreement, Goodell had the option to consider the appeal himself or to appoint a designee in his stead. The new hearing will be limited to testimony and evidence heard in the initial trial and will not answer whether Watson violated the policy because Robinson’s verdict was binding. Harvey’s verdict will be the final say, according to the NFL.
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Watson settled with 20 of 24 women who filed lawsuits against him so far. Watson’s former team, the Houston Texans, settled with 30 women who made claims or intended to make claims against the Texans organization for its role in the allegations against Watson. At least 10 women have filed criminal complaints against Watson so far, though two grand juries declined to prosecute him.
