NEWSLETTER
One day after the 24th lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson emerged, an investigation by New York Times uncovers more:
Exclusive: The NFL star Deshaun Watson, who has been accused of sexual misconduct during massage appointments, used resources provided by the Houston Texans, including nondisclosure agreements, to make appointments with more women than previously known. https://t.co/uUMPmv7E41 pic.twitter.com/kLHTo8HdrN
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 7, 2022
Sigh. Okay. This is a lot to take in. But here’s the bottom line, for now: A 24th allegation of sexual misconduct, and the additional layer uncovered by the Times, complicates the NFL’s path to clearing Watson to play.
Remember, the Browns sent a bunch of draft capital to the Texans to acquire Watson and gave him $230 million in guarantees with a new contract. But that came at the conclusion of a wild offseason in which the Colts, Vikings, and Bucs had varying amounts of reported interest in acquiring the quarterback. And all of that came after an offseason in which a number of teams were checking in on a possible trade. Remember, the Bears were seen as a possible option until their interest waned after the initial sexual assault allegations. Of course, the Eagles and Dolphins were still in the mix, even after the first round of allegations emerged. But nothing came of any trade conversations until the Browns actually made it happen. And now, I’m wondering if Watson will even play in Cleveland.
Indeed, this reporting from the New York Times will further muddy the waters. Especially after taking into consideration this exchange:
FYI, what I said was the relevance of the 24th lawsuit in the investigation is whether or not the Browns and NFL knew about it—and IF Watson was transparent with them on it.
I don’t know whether he was or not.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 7, 2022
(Michael: I will find it truly absurd if the Browns/NFL act as though this additional (24th!!!!!!) allegation is somehow the final straw. Even if Watson held information back and/or the Browns failed to do their due diligence (I mean … c’mon), what exactly was okay about any of this before?).
The NFL – and the Browns – have a mess on their hands with the Watson situation. And frankly, I’m not sure where this is headed.
