Justice defied

 I wouldn't know retired judge Sue L. Robinson if she sentenced me to hard time for making fun of the Oxford Comma People. Though apparently she would not.

I mean, look at the slack she cut Deshaun Watson.

The arbitrator jointly chosen by the NFLPA and the NFL, she handed down her ruling yesterday, and it wasn't exactly bread-and-water on Devil's Island. She ruled Watson should get a six-game suspension -- the league minimum -- for what she termed "non-violent" sexual offenses, going by the precedent set in the NFL's slap-wrist-y punishments for other sexual assault/harassment/domestic violence cases.

If you're looking for somewhere to park your disgust about this today, that's where you start: The NFL.

Which despite all its gum-flapping about how VERY SERIOUSLY they take domestic violence and sexual assault/harassment, has been less than draconian in punishing the offenders among its employees. All Robinson did was follow the Shield's lead. 

Not that her ruling wasn't wrong-headed itself. 

I doubt the 24 women with whom Watson settled, and the 30 with whom the Houston Texans settled, would regard being ejaculated upon as "non-violent", for instance. Forced oral sex and wagging your business in a massage therapist's face would not seem particularly non-violent, either. And while we're at it, how about the Texans themselves acting as Watson's de facto pimp by providing non-disclosure agreements to protect him, and also providing the venue he used for some of his "appointments"?

Robinson supposedly took all of that into consideration. Then she handed down a decision riddled with inconsistencies. 

She labeled Watson's conduct "predatory" and that "a preponderance of evidence" demonstrated he committed "sexual assault," but noted that no criminal charges were filed (two Texas grand juries refused to indict, because, well, Texas), and that Watson's behavior did not "fall into the category of violent conduct that would require the minimum six-game suspension."

Then she imposed the minimum suspension anyway. But also ruled Watson could only have access to therapists and sessions approved by the ballclub from here on out.

I'm sure that comes as a great comfort to any future interactions he'll have with massage therapists, club-approved or not.

I'm also sure a whole lot of folks out there -- including Watson's accusers -- were thinking "Wait, what? You're calling the guy a 'predator' but you're allowing him continued access to the sort of individuals on whom he preyed? And letting him skate with a six-game suspension and no fine?"

Well ... yes. But again, most of this falls on the NFL.

Not only did its precedent inform Robinson, it only talked to four of Watson's accusers. And it did so, reportedly, while functioning as a prosecutor, treating the women it interviewed as hostile witnesses.

Now the league is considering whether or not to appeal the judge's decision. I'd suggest it would be better off appealing to itself, citing its own history of letting down women to keep the mighty football machine rolling along.

Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson showed up at training camp yesterday with his new team, the Cleveland Browns. Fans in attendance broke into applause.

Not to ratchet up your disgust a little more or anything.