NFL’s Deshaun Watson Decision Should Never Be Forgotten

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is within the face of one other accusation sexual harassment. The NFL announced Monday that it’s reviewing a civil lawsuit filed against Watson. It comes after he reached settlements in 2022 with greater than two dozen women who got here forward with similar allegations of sexual assault and harassment. The latest allegations of sexual assault and battery raise questions on Watson and the five-year, $230 million contract he signed to play with the Browns in 2022, and whether the claims allow the Browns to void the deal and do away with their ineffective quarterback.

Ultimately, nevertheless, the Browns and the NFL have decided to welcome Deshaun Watson with open arms, and nothing that happens will change that.

The details of the accusations against Watson are gruesome: Watson allegedly lay naked on a lady’s bed without her consent; forcibly undressed a lady after his demands for a massage weren’t met; and sexually assaulted a lady until she died. he ran away and grabbed a heavy decorative item in self-defense. These details are necessary because not only do they clarify the seriousness of the accusations against Watson, however the alleged attack took place in October 2020 and its details are just like the accusations Watson has faced in 2021. when he was a member of the Houston Texans and a number of other teams with room left of their wage budget still wanted him on their roster.

Deshaun Watson’s 2022 draft pick is a perpetual shadow over the NFL. Even because the allegations were unfolding at breakneck speed, NFL teams were racing to supply Watson essentially the most money they might. The New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers were also within the running for Watson, sparking a bidding war that the Browns won. They won, giving Watson the biggest guaranteed contract in NFL history on the time — $80 million greater than the next-largest guaranteed contract.

The Browns sent a transparent message: They are willing to disregard credible allegations of sexual assault so long as the accused player generally is a transformative talent for this team. But it wasn’t just the Browns who sent that message. The entire NFL was complicit. That includes everyone from the owners who desired to sign him, to the players who kept quiet about twiddling with or against him, to the fans who wear his jersey within the stands, and everybody in between.

Watson’s existence as an NFL player is a reminder of the league’s moral standing. It seems that so often the abuse of girls doesn’t fit into the category of what the NFL considers inappropriate.

The NFL knows how one can cut a player when his off-the-field actions are deemed detrimental to the shield. Just ask former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was Banned from the NFL for refusing to face through the national anthem. He was never re-signed and hasn’t played within the league since. Watson was never in peril of being kicked out of the league after the allegations against him. His profession is protected since it exists on the crossroads of the league, assuming he was a greater player in 2022 than Kaepernick was in 2016, and he was accused of committing crimes that the league has so often told us aren’t heinous enough to finish a player’s profession.

Now Watson’s contract is a curse for the Browns just because he didn’t play for guaranteed money. He was suspended for 11 games in his first season. He was injured last season and played in only six games, throwing just seven touchdowns and 4 interceptions. And on Sunday in Week 1 of the 2024 season, he got one other stinker with a poor QBR of 9.3 and two interceptions en path to a 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, which was an even bigger victory than the ultimate rating would indicate.

Watson is not any longer within the privileged position of being so good at football that his alleged egregious actions don’t matter. Now he’s a financial liability to the Browns. And now that a brand new allegation has surfaced, one which, if proven he knew about it and hid it from the Browns when he signed the contract, could space for empty parts his contract and end his tenure with the team, he could find himself out of the organization. He would likely find himself out of the league. But not due to any moral stance or belief that what he was accused of was incorrect. He’s just not ok to permit the league to pretend his concerns don’t matter.

Whether Watson’s contract is voided and he’s cut from the Browns this 12 months or he continues his prolific profession, his time within the NFL might be over. He’ll rack up the yards, the wins, the touchdowns and the highlights. But long after he’s gone, the NFL will carry the legacy of his decision. The league has firmly entrenched itself within the notion that a player may be accused of a number of the most despicable acts conceivable and welcomed as a shield representative, so long as his QBR is high enough.

It’s a position that ought to never be forgotten, regardless of what happens to Watson’s profession.