Watson was previously facing a six-game suspension handed down by appointed disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson, but the NFL has appealed the ruling and plans to seek a one-year ban.

Watson started in the Browns' preseason opener in August -- his first NFL appearance since January 2020 -- and threw for seven yards and completed 1 of 5 pass attempts during a 24-13 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Browns' announcement that Watson would start came one day after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell publicly said that the league has "seen the evidence" necessary to pursue a one-year ban for the quarterback, referring to Watson's alleged actions as "egregious" and "predatory behavior."

Goodell spoke publicly on August 9 following a special league meeting in Minneapolis to officially approve the sale of the Denver Broncos and addressed the NFL's decision to appeal Watson's six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy previously handed down by Robinson.

"We've seen the evidence," Goodell said via NFL.com. "[Disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson] was very clear about the evidence, should we enforce the evidence. That there was multiple violations here, and they were egregious, and it was predatory behavior. Those are things that we always felt were important for us to address in a way that's responsible."

In August, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport shared a statement from NFL Vice President of Communications Brian McCarthy, which said, "the NFL notified the NFLPA that it will appeal Judge Robinson's disciplinary decision and filed its brief this afternoon. Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine who will hear the appeal."

Ron Wilson