Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
Despite reports of two more civil lawsuits being filed against Deshaun Watson in the past two weeks, the Browns reportedly intend to stick beside their quarterback amid the new allegations.
Cleveland currently has no plans to void Watson’s record five-year contract or the trade with the Texans that brought him to the organization, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported Friday. Watson, 26, signed an extension worth a guaranteed $230 million, the largest guaranteed deal in NFL history, after waiving his no-trade clause to join the Browns in a massive blockbuster trade in March.
But there was a clause in his new contract that caught the eyes of football fans. Watson is set to make just $1 million as his 2022 season salary, meaning he will lose only $55,556 for every game if he’s suspended during the upcoming season.
Cabot reported the organization has not been influenced to act despite the latest lawsuits and news reports, with team sources saying nothing has taken place to warrant the nullification of the contract or trade. The Browns sent first-round picks in 2022, ’23, and ’24, as well as a ’23 third-round pick and fourth-round picks in ’22 and ’24 to acquire Watson and a ’24 Texans second-round pick.
Watson is currently facing 24 active civil suits, each detailing graphic accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault that occurred during massage therapy sessions. The accounts range from Watson allegedly refusing to cover his genitals to the quarterback “touching [a plaintiff] with his penis and trying to force her to perform oral sex on him.” The latest filing detailed that Watson masturbated and ejaculated on the plaintiff without her consent.
On Tuesday, less than a day after the 24th active lawsuit was filed, a report from Jenny Vrentas of The New York Times emerged revealing shocking new details of Watson’s alleged sexual misconduct. Vrentas’s report stated that Watson booked sessions with at least 66 different women for massage therapy sessions in the span of 17 months, and accused the Texans and Houston-based spa, A New U Salon Spa, of “enabling” his habit.
The Times reported the Texans provided non-disclosure agreements and facilities for Watson’s sessions; the QB previously said that to his knowledge, the franchise was not aware of the massage therapy sessions at the hotel, per Vrentas. The report also noted Dionne Louis, the owner of A New U Salon Spa, became “a resource for Watson” for her ability to “connect him with multiple women for massages.”
Though it’s unclear at this time who from the organization was involved in the reported enabling, lawyer Tony Buzbee, who represents all 24 plaintiffs, said Wednesday he plans to add the Texans and “others” as defendants to the ongoing civil lawsuits. “We believe the Texans organization was well aware of Watson’s issues, but failed to act,” he said. “They knew or certainly should have known.”
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday in wake of the 24th lawsuit that he’s “going to be respectful of the investigation, of the legal proceedings. I’m going to let that play out.” When asked about the Browns’ investigation, the coach said he “can’t add much” and reiterated his previous comment of letting this “play out.”
Whether the quarterback will face a fine, suspension or nothing is still unknown as well. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently said that the league is “nearing the end of the investigation,” but no timeline was provided on when the disciplinary officer would issue a ruling. It turns out, though, that there is a key date that could play a role in when the decision will come—June 30.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, this is the deadline for pretrial discovery in the 24 active civil lawsuits the quarterback is facing. Breer wrote that “in the 2020 CBA, the NFL ceded the initial decision-making on discipline to a neutral arbitrator. And if you’re thinking like an ex-U.S. district court judge would, it stands to reason that you’d want as much information as possible before rendering a decision.” Breer’s belief is that the decision will likely come in July.
Watson has denied all allegations against him, and two Texas grand juries declined to indict him on criminal charges. Here is what has happened on and off the field since Watson’s last NFL game.
