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Deshaun Watson and NFL agree deal on 11 game suspension and $5m fine

Deshaun Watson and the NFL have agreed on a deal that will see the quarterback suspended for 11 games and fined $5m over sexual misconduct allegations made against him.

It is reportedly the largest fine ever handed out to an NFL player.

The Cleveland Browns star had earlier been handed a six-game suspension by an arbiter for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

But the league had said it wanted to suspend Watson for the whole season and had already appealed the arbiter’s decision.

Watson, who has a five-year fully-guaranteed contract worth $230m, was accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen Houston massage therapists but was never criminally charged.

Instead, he has settled 24 of 25 civil lawsuits brought against him by an attorney for the plaintiffs, Tony Buzbee.

The 26-year-old quarterback was traded from the Houston Texans to the Browns over the offseason for a package that included three first-round picks.

“I apologise once again for the pain this situation has caused. I take accountability for the decision I made,” said Watson in a statement.