Deshaun Watson‘s on-field performance has not matched expectations in 2024, but the more pressing storyline surrounding the Browns passer is the latest lawsuit filed against him for sexual assault. Watson’s most recent accuser is set to speak with the NFL, and a league investigation into the matter could result in another suspension.
Attorney Tony Buzbee – who is representing the woman accusing Watson of sexual assault in October 2020 and was a key figure for the plaintiffs in Watson’s original batch of lawsuits – said in a recent statement his client will cooperate with the league’s investigation noting the presence of “pertinent” video evidence. Non-league employees cannot be compelled to do so, making that development a notable one as it pertains potential discipline. Watson has (through attorney Rusty Hardin) denied the allegations and he will not be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. 
While the 29-year-old is therefore free to remain in place with the Browns for the time being, the potential of a second suspension has led to renewed questions about his contract. Cleveland guaranteed all of Watson’s five-year, $230MM deal in 2022 with the expectation he would face a ban at some point. Watson was indeed sidelined for the first 11 games of the season stemming from sexual assault lawsuits (all but one of which have since been settled).
Written correspondence between the former Texan Pro Bowler’s camp and the Browns referred to the possibility of a suspension and how it would not affect the guarantees in the deal. However, as ESPN’s Dan Graziano writes, protection against a suspension only covered the 2022 and ’23 seasons. This new allegation is separate from the ones which have already been dealt with, and as a result a new suspension could allow the team to void the remaining guaranteed money ($92MM between 2025 and ’26) contained in the pact.
The Browns have restructured Watson’s contract in each of the past two years in cap-related moves, converting base salaries into signing bonuses. The most recent of those moves may have removed suspension protection entirely, Graziano adds.
Players’ salaries are affected by suspensions, so a ban being handed down in 2024 would produce minimal consequences in that regard. Given Watson’s showings when healthy during his Browns tenure, though, the possibility of getting out of the remainder of his pact would likely be enticing. A decision on that front will not be possible unless and until any league suspension is handed down, the timeline of which remains uncertain. Cleveland could be preparing for a new ban, however.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports the presence of “chatter in league circles” that a personal conduct suspension could be coming, although nothing firm is in place with respect to when it could happen. Florio adds that some around the league believe the Browns are evaluating outside quarterback options, something which would become necessary in the event Watson were to miss time this year. Cleveland allowed backup Joe Flacco – who stepped in as the team’s starter after Watson’s season-ending shoulder injury – to depart in free agency. At the moment, veteran pickup Jameis Winston and 2023 fifth-rounder Dorian Thompson-Robinson round out the QB depth chart.
Plenty is still to be determined in this situation, and more clarity will likely emerge once the anonymous accuser speaks with league officials. A suspension – either covering the end of the current season or a portion of future years – would be signficant for Watson and the Browns in its own respect, but if possible the team’s ability to void his remaining locked in money would of course create a major storyline.
Yung name
Cleveland is pushing for a suspension
Jameis time!
link to youtube.com Eat the W’s video!
It’s obvious that this guy is a first class piece of garbage, but the fact that leagues suspend players BEFORE lawsuits are settled is ridiculous.
Why? The NFL isn’t putting him in jail, and he has no “right” to play in the NFL, it is a privilege. Most of the time, they are suspended with pay while an investigation takes place. Letting predators play in games on TV with children watching is ridiculous.
I promise you it’s really not that difficult to avoid 26 SA allegations and accusations you really have to work hard to experience that. One, maybe two is a situation you are unfortunate with a person trying to accuse you for whatever reason. 3 or 4 you put yourself in bad situations even if innocent. Over 20 something is wrong with you and you are doing something inappropriate.
Because of the inconsistency they apply their rules. Plenty of domestic abusers playing in the NFL no problem
What are the chances the Browns are paying her legal fees? Buyers’ remorse.
Hmmmmm
Essentially the Browns would be saying that 60 times is okay, but 61 is just to much. He shouldn’t even be playing at all because by paying these ladies he’s admitting guilt and serial sex offenders should be barred from the league. These women were just doing a legitimate job, not working at some shady “spa”, and old Deshaun “Rub and Tug” Watson decides to whip out his mini me and masturbate on them. Can you imagine someone doing that to a Walmart cashier, a nurse or a Outback waitress? If someone did that they would be in jail for years and be branded a sex offender for life. This guy gets to make millions playing football, not good football, but football with no repercussions. Toss him out and void his contract then in 40 years he can explain to his grandkids why he got kicked out of the NFL.
amen
I’m not a Cleveland fan but all these ladies coming out of nowhere is a bit suspicious. Like seriously.. where was she when all the other girls came out with claims? It’s been like 2 years. In my eyes there should be no suspension. He already served that. I’m not trying to take away from the fact that all these ladies said it happened. We all don’t know if it did. Look at the Trevor Bauer situation. The girl lied and trying to get a payday. We all do know that a massage leads to other things though.. sometimes. To me this just screams money grab. Someone who is getting $230+ million guaranteed she thinks she’ll be an instant millionaire. Did she recently lose her job? Can she afford her rent and bills? Why 3 years later? Why 2 years after the last person? Again I’m not defending Watson but he served his suspension. This isn’t new
Blaming the victim and asking questions like this is why women are hesitant to come forward, and then you ask why they hesitated. I’m sure that when you are the victim of a sexual crime, you will report it in just the right way and just the right timing.
So, I know three female friends who are legitimate massage therapists, so NO, one does not always lead to the other. If someone did that to one of these women he would be singing soprano for the rest of his life. Is there as statute of limitations? There could be more lawsuits Just because one woman decided not to be bought out doesn’t limit her ability to sue him. In a class action lawsuit you can join or pursue your own case. He’s obviously a scumbag who was not taught proper manners around women. Or would it be okay for him to whip it out for your sister, wife, daughter? You know how women are, just a bunch of teasers. (This is sarcasm people)
You were probably better off not saying anything. You wouldn’t look as dumb as you did by typing this response.
Truth hurt? Maybe you don’t understand manners and decorum either. He should be arrested and jailed just like any sex offender should be. If you don’t believe that I can’t help you.
guilty conscience you are lying about having female friends or doesnt know he was replying to the original poster. Either way i cant help you 🙂
Muted, you should seek help
He served his suspension for the others and if i remember it was said any new incidents will be dealt with separately. Cant remember does the NFL have tiered suspension like MLB first time is 80 games … 2nd time is season etc etc. So will this be like 3 seasons he is suspended.
Cant remember does the NFL have tiered suspension like MLB first time is 80 games …
===========================
Assuming that this happened in the same time frame as the original complaints, then one could argue that this allegation should be part of the previous settlement.
It’s a bit like a Wall Street broker doing 15 years for cheating 100 clients. If someone comes in late, that should’ve been part of the original 100, they shouldn’t get a separate punishment.
That is the stupidest thing that I have ever read. He should have been suspended for each accusation already. Each incident of violating the league’s personal conduct policy should have its own penalty. This isn’t an insurance company offering discounts for bundling offenses. He received an 11 game suspension for the 24 known accusers. That was 2.18 games per accuser. I think that 11 games per accuser would have been reasonable for a 264 game suspension. So trying to wrap another accuser into the suspension already served is silly. The NFL does not need Deshaun Watson.
I might be more confused than you but wouldn’t it be less than half a game per accuser? 2 games per accuser would be 48. Not sure seems they have changed how to do math since we used the sticks and stones they taught me with.
If Browns were smart they’d try n get em for personal conduct code in contract language. Like a magic potion getting Cleveland out from under that behemoth contract n lose that headache once n for all. But we are talking about Browns n he is their boy.
“if the browns were smart”…….. they wouldn’t have made a historic trade/deal for a serial sex offender in the first place? if they were smart, or at least had a quarter of a brain
You act as if there is something wrong with trading for a predator, wasting 3 #1s, a #3, two #4s, and $50M+ a year.
They have a provision in the contract, that was put in there because of his issues, that they will most likely enact to get out of the deal. It was required for Watson to tell the Browns ALL of the potential allegations against him. If he did not let them know about this one and he is suspended or otherwise unavailable to the Browns, they can get out from under the deal, no harm, no foul.
It would be good for him to finally have a suspension that actually cost him money after the contract shenanigans he and the Browns pulled to avoid that before. It would make the team better too.
Watson is broken goods by now. He’s had a chance to be the QB he was in HOU, but he can’t. This whole situation with scumbag Buzbee and Watson is just too much. Browns messed up and are trying to move on. Watson expected happy endings from these IG girls and didn’t get it. Buzbee exploited it. No winners here, except Buzbee. Lots of billable hours and the class action lawsuit which takes a negotiated percentage of the payoff. Sad all around.
The timing is odd for this one, but the supposed video makes it appear much more actable than the others. If the accusers had had separate lawyers instead of a single attorney in Buzbee, it seems that they could have put more pressure on the NFL from multiple angles. It seems like it would served their needs better, to me, than all beibg represented by a single attorney. These are civil suits, after all, not criminal cases, so the rules of admission and privacy are looser than a criminal case from a practical standpoint. I’m curious what the video shows-perhaps the NFL will act based on that, ala Ray Rice, without any sort of criminal conviction or civil ruling. The league is so inconsistent that one could never know.
One thing that we all agree on is that the Browns, for their part, probably have a much different view on a potential suspension now than they did before. As for the teammates…even with the understanding that these are all allegations and none of us truly know what happened, it’s impossible to think that his teammates haven’t at least been wary or off about Watson personally. It might be my opinion, but it seems that it’d be strange at a minimum hearing the accusations and having to work every day with someone like that. Aside from a personal unease, you have to wonder if it also affects their on field performance. With this other accusation rearing its head again, how many will get tired of the same old song and dance again?
Agree. At your job, would you want to hang out with a co-worker like Watson? Nope. It can only be a locker room distraction. As far as this video, let’s see. It wouldn’t surprise me if this “video” never comes out. A nice bargaining chip, if it really does exist.
It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes,
To know what is coming for
WATSON.
Is the pun intentional?
Elementary
What I still don’t get is why? He’s got millions upon millions, dude could have his pick on tinder.
a predator/deviant with millions is still a predator/deviant
1) Suspension
2) Void contract
3) Cut from team
4) Fire Andrew Berry, because he pushed for this albatross of a contract
I’m pretty sure it was ownership that forced this whole ordeal through.
Berry’s idea to guarantee the entire contract, to keep him from signing with another team. Common knowledge.
Haslam was dumb/desperate enough to agree.
Nah the Browns deserve to have to pay that contract for their ideocracy. Maybe they have to donate it to charity – obviously Watson doesn’t deserve it. But they don’t deserve to have provoked this POS, then reward him an insane amount of money, just for him to still be a garbage human being.
You can do far worse than having Jameis Winston as your starting QB once Watson is suspended and his contract voided.
Winston steals seafood like Ricky and Julian steal meat
These are just birthday presents, you have no right to look in them!
hahahhahahahahahahahahaha that’s def in my top 3 favorite scenes, if not top 2. maybe top 1
Great reference.
All the assets to trade for him.
All the money they guaranteed him.
All the shame they endured to employ him.
Only for Baker Mayfield to play like a Pro Bowler in Tampa while Watson plays like a guy who never need to complete another pass to get his entire contract.
Joke franchise. Deserve EVERY SINGLE BIT of the pain Watson brings them.
Which trade is worse this or the panthers with Young?
Definitely this. Young isn’t going cost Carolina in the future anything but his contract.
of course it will still cost them.
Atleast one lost year unless you think Dalton will be the like Flacco from last year but probably 2. Most likely a ton of money to get a even a mid tier qb next year to come play as starter next year instead of rookie scale qb as they probably would have had one of the qbs this past draft. Also Darnold (pains me to say it and saddens me its that bad) is the currently the best FA QB available. The rest are Brissett Dalton Fields Wilson (Zach and Russell) or they use another pick to get a qb which from the sound of it is not that great.
A big reason Houston is where they are today is thanks to Cleveland.
Geez just can’t get his act together.
This whole situation is the most karmic thing that could have happened to the Browns.
Drafted Tua and Watson in fantasy this year. Bad move on both ends. Watson seems more of a deviant than Bauer. Both of them should have done like Robert Kraft and just pay for it. Oldest profession on earth they say. Would have saved me money in the long run doing the same, when you calculate what my marriage cost me. Lesson learned.
Bauer wasn’t actually guilty, so I’d hesitate on throwing him in there. Bauer is more like Araiza.
My original comment in part, said “Watson seems more of a deviant than Bauer”. But since you mentioned it, neither has been charged with a crime. Bauer should have known better. If Watson did what he’s been accused of, he should be locked up. But unless you witnessed the massage sessions, you don’t know if Watson is guilty or not. To close, let’s get back to Bauer….. did he get a raw deal? Probably. Do I understand why he hasn’t been signed by a MLB club since LAD released him? Yes. Do I think he ever will be signed by a MLB club? No I don’t.
He’ll get suspended and his contract voided, then the Browns will tank in 2025 and draft Arch Manning.
Manning will pull an Eli if that happens…
Time to bring in Joe Flacco
The accusation is from Oct 2020, not 2022.
Suspension? This POS deserves prison. Or at the very least expulsion.
If the Browns can void the contract great, but getting rid of Watson regardless is the way to go. That contract should have never been given to begin with. With this many accusations he is obviously doing something.
The Giants should be signing Danny Dimes up for some massages.
Threw it all away over casual s*x
The NFL should just get rid of its personal conduct policy – as they clearly have no idea how they want to define it (or enforce it).
I don’t like the idea of Watson getting this money. Scumbags should not benefit from being scumbahs. I also don’t think Cleveland should be able to get out of the stupidity they created with it.
I think the best decision is Watson can’t sign with another team until this contract expires. You never know Carolina might sign him. Then the money could be donated to well the best place I can think of is me.
I know there is Tunnel to Towers St Jude etc but I am being selfish. This would solve a bunch of problems. Cleveland pays for their lack of dignity and mucho stupidity. We don’t have to hear about him unless it is in court. Then I can have fun the last few years of my life. Spoil the grandkids and go on a ton of vacations.
I truly don’t think either should be able to get out positively from this. Play dumb games get punched in the mouth. Figuratively not literally.
Not sure which is worse the one that does the crime or the one that wants to profit from the crime knowingly.