Deshaun Watson pushed a referee, was not ejected or penalized

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson got away with shoving a referee during Monday night’s game.

In the third quarter, Watson was called for unnecessary roughness for grabbing Pittsburgh’s Kwon Alexander’s mask and hanging on to it even after both players were out of bounds on the Steelers bench. After the play, Watson stayed near the sideline and exchanged words with the Steelers.

At that point, referee Barry Anderson stood in front of Watson and attempted to direct him back onto the field, and Watson pushed Anderson to the side to continue speaking with the Steelers players.

Watson was not penalized for the push, even though the NFL rulebook says in the “Prohibited Acts” section that “Under no circumstances is a player permitted to shove, shove or hit a referee” and that “The player will be disqualified from the game.”

The referees would have been within their authority to eject Watson for the action, and the fact that he wasn’t even given a penalty seems like a wasted decision. The league office can dictate its own discipline.