DeShaun Watson Situation Not Unfolding Well

"KeyFin wrote:

In my opinion, I believe that Watson thinks he did nothing wrong...even though he contacted 66 therapists (according to the Texans, the number could actually be higher). The reason I think that is the same reason nothing happened to Robert Kraft after he was recorded in a massage pallor- somehow that's acceptable in some parts of society.

Now, I've never been to one of those places, I don't know if happy endings are the norm everywhere or if you have to visit certain ones, but I'm guessing a guy like Watson figured massage = sex no matter where you go. I have a feeling that he basically assumed that he was talking to 66+ prostitutes and not women with legitimate careers in a respectable profession.

That doesn't make any of this right and that doesn't excuse anything he did, but if none of these are tried in criminal court, then it's nothing but he said/she said. Waston said from the start that all of these were consensual and he visited a few of them multiple times. I think that's where this civil stuff gets snagged- why would any of them meet Watson a 2nd or 3rd time? And I think that's where the NFL is stuck, because you have team owners doing basically the same thing in their private life and nobody's batting an eye.

Personally, I hate everything about this situation and I wish they'd ban Watson for life. But at the same time, I don't see what they can possibly do without these cases being settled or criminal charges filed. It's just a mess of epic proportions.

Last year was easy, Watson sat on his own and nobody had to do anything. This year he wants to play though, and the Browns structured his contract in advance expecting a suspension. That in itself is creepy...we're going to do you a favor so this sexual predator stuff doesn't hurt you as bad. I'm honestly embarrassed for the Browns, how they could stoop that low, and I really hope Watson never plays another down. But at the same time, I also hope that he goes on the commissioner's exempt for multiple seasons and ends up collecting every last bit of that $200M. To me, the Browns deserve that.

Wanting a happy ending isn't really all that wrong but I think we are beyond that so there isn't really any chance he doesn't think he did anything wrong. Any remotely normal person would figure out they aren't all prostitutes the first time one of them wasn't on board. Way too many incidents for ignorance to be a real excuse.

"Fishhead wrote:

What do you think the mood is like in the Falcons front office? They chased Matt Ryan out of town and didn’t even get Watson. Now it’s…..Marcus Mariota under center to start the season? No Watson circus, though…

They're in a good position to get a top pick next year.

"Fishhead wrote:

What do you think the mood is like in the Falcons front office? They chased Matt Ryan out of town and didn’t even get Watson. Now it’s…..Marcus Mariota under center to start the season? No Watson circus, though…

Actually, I spend a lot of time with Falcons fans. Almost all are happy with the rebuild, which was put off for too long. Some are happy that Ryan's got a chance to actually succeed in Indy. A few left from supporting the team after the Watson pursuit and followed him up north, but that was very few. They've made a few low key moves that will make them competitive this year, if not good. Add to that, they have over $100 million to rebuild the team next offseason and their rebuild is likely to go quicker than ours did (past tense intentional), even though ours went about as quickly and smoothly as could be expected.

The front office got lucky. Ryan's trade demand was actually something they preferred to get his contract off the books, whether they got Watson or not. With any luck, they'll ascend right when Tom Terrific goes over the cliffs of Mount Time.

If you think Dolphins fans are knee-jerking overly emotional Chicken Littles who see falling skies and disrespect with every perceived slight, go over to the Falcons message board, where they make us seem like the case study in stability. And even then, there's a sense of playing this year with house money, where losing is expected but winning might actually happen (it won't).

I think all fanbases are that way, lol. The sky is always falling, unless you’re a Chiefs fan currently, or a Pats fan the past 2 decades, excepting the last 2 years. I grew up in the NY metro area, and Giants and Jets fans act the same.

"Destroyer wrote:

Just when I think the Dolphins might be the worst franchise in the nfl the browns go and do something like this and completely redeem themselves.

I can't believe I'm the only one who gave this post a like.

"OwesOwn614 wrote:

If you think Dolphins fans are knee-jerking overly emotional Chicken Littles who see falling skies and disrespect with every perceived slight, go over to the Falcons message board, where they make us seem like the case study in stability. And even then, there's a sense of playing this year with house money, where losing is expected but winning might actually happen (it won't).

For the past decade, we've been around a .500 team. I've been happy with that, especially the past two years of 9 and 10 wins. That means we're a fringe playoff team and we've recently had obvious ways to improve on offense.

I didn't "hate" those .500 teams- the Sparano, Philbin, Gase, and Flores years. Those were all pretty good teams. What I hated was the rebuilding process every three seasons and never giving the offense any consistency. If Tannehill were in the same offense with the same receivers for six years, I think we would have seen today's version a lot earlier. Because that's what all the top teams have- consistency. They don't change up the offense every season for the next new thing.

For Tua, this is the 3rd offense in three seasons. That sucks because the offseason and training camp is about learning the playbook, the route concepts, etc. If we compare Tua to Mahommes, for example, our quarterback has spent 8-9 months over the past three seasons learning new stuff, while Mahommes has been fine-tuning what he already does. That makes a big difference long term. Or even comparing Tua to Burrow....Joe's spent six more months maturing in that offense, even though he was out hurt for a stretch.

Mahommes and Burrow are better than Tua and Tannehill, but that's not the point here. My point is that I hate the instability and starting over so often. My hope is that we keep this team together multiple seasons and not try to bring in Brady/Payton in a year or two. You can't build a dynasty if everything is in a constant state of evolution.

"KeyFin wrote:

For the past decade, we've been around a .500 team. I've been happy with that, especially the past two years of 9 and 10 wins. That means we're a fringe playoff team and we've recently had obvious ways to improve on offense.

I didn't "hate" those .500 teams- the Sparano, Philbin, Gase, and Flores years. Those were all pretty good teams. What I hated was the rebuilding process every three seasons and never giving the offense any consistency. If Tannehill were in the same offense with the same receivers for six years, I think we would have seen today's version a lot earlier. Because that's what all the top teams have- consistency. They don't change up the offense every season for the next new thing.

For Tua, this is the 3rd offense in three seasons. That sucks because the offseason and training camp is about learning the playbook, the route concepts, etc. If we compare Tua to Mahommes, for example, our quarterback has spent 8-9 months over the past three seasons learning new stuff, while Mahommes has been fine-tuning what he already does. That makes a big difference long term. Or even comparing Tua to Burrow....Joe's spent six more months maturing in that offense, even though he was out hurt for a stretch.

Mahommes and Burrow are better than Tua and Tannehill, but that's not the point here. My point is that I hate the instability and starting over so often. My hope is that we keep this team together multiple seasons and not try to bring in Brady/Payton in a year or two. You can't build a dynasty if everything is in a constant state of evolution.

When we fired Flo, my initial reaction was frustration. Not because I loved him as a coach, but because I'm tired of rebuilding and rebranding. Every new coach needs 2-3 years to bring "his guys" in and only an exceptional coach can win immediately with a roster full of another coach's players. I'm optimistic about McDaniel, but fully aware that things are unlikely to get off to a great start, especially with our murderer's row first month opponents.

After looking at the Build A Team For $15 graphic, it made me realize we've really been hamstrung with coaches since JJ. I spent $5 on Coach Shula because only he and $4 JJ were worthy of consideration, regardless of the roster. I'd have taken Flo for $3 if he was available, FTR.

And yeah, Tua's been given a bum hand with coaches as well as teammates. Mahomes had a full year to watch and learn and working his whole career with the same OC and receivers including a top-5 wideout and top-3 tight end. It is what it is. I know a lot of people think I'm a Tua nut hugger, but that's not true. If he was on another team, I'd ignore him. Am I an apologist? Maybe. But I don't want to move on when it's just as likely the next QB is going to fail; it's hard AF to find a franchise QB. I don't want to move from our best QB in years to chase the next Burrow or Herbert because those guys are outliers. We have a chance to see if #1 can play with the big boys, so let's see what he looks like with a fair shot to succeed.

I would have objected to trading for Watson with his baggage, regardless of our current QB. Giving one guy 20-25% of our salary cap after trading up to five first and second round picks was a deal breaker for me. It would have hamstrung the roster and put our future in the relative health of one guy. Rolling the dice on somebody who carries the cloud of impropriety over him was too much for me.

All but 3 cases have now been settled.

"Sceeto wrote:

All but 3 cases have now been settled.

Wasn't that the case weeks ago, but more cases have been added?

"Silverphin wrote:

Honestly, if I was Baker Mayfield, I wouldn't play a single down for the Browns ever again.

If he's lucky, he won't play or even be on the team. Letting him go to another team is both a favor and an apology - LOL

When is Cleveland going to relocate to some place, like they did a few years ago?
With luck they could end up playing for Russia in the European league - LOL

"tirty8 wrote:

I just look at this whole thing as "the never ending story."

Put yourself in Roger Goodell's shoes for a minute. One of his biggest mistakes was giving Ray Rice a 2 game suspension. After giving the suspension, a video came out, and things were far more horrific than he initially believed them to be. I do think that Goodell has probably learned a few lessons from this. #1 - Make sure to thoroughly investigate all allegations and #2 - Wait until all the evidence is heard.

#2 is a sticky situation in a lot of ways. If these things go to trial, and if you are Goodell, he would have to see this as a very realistic possibility, we could come to find out the allegations and potential evidence of these crimes/improprieties are far worse than initially suspected.

The next problem is that women still seem to be coming forward. There is no way for him to really know how many more women could potentially come forward. Imagine, he comes out today and suspends Watson for a year, and tomorrow, another woman comes forward. Does he then add to the suspension? Does he say all subsequent complaints fall under the current suspension? Just think about how that would sound to the public - "There is no real difference between 24 and 25 victims." Pretty terrible if you are the 25th victim. What if the 25th victim tells the most harrowing stories with the most evidence? I think Goodell is smart enough to not get into another Ray Rice type situation.

I think there are only a few options for Goodell.
#1 - Put him on paid leave until his cases are resolved.. From the outside, this seems the most practical, but is it really? Suppose it takes him a year to resolve all of his cases. Effectively, he has now not played in 2 years, but he has never been suspended. Suppose, this lands him a 10 game suspension. The Browns now have an enormous contract and a guy who has not played football for almost three years. At that point, we have to wonder is Deshaun Watson still Deshaun Watson?

#2 - Suspend him indefinitely and allow for him to apply for reinstatement once his cases are resolved. This probably would be most amicable for the Browns and Watson. Effectively, he could serve his suspension while he works to resolve his cases. But this is not as cut and dry as you might think either. If you are Watson, can you simply accept the punishment while currently fighting off legal complaints? Think about it this way. Currently, Watson is arguing that the claims these women have made are untrue. If that is truly the case, wouldn't Watson think that the suspension is ergo unjust. The complainants could easily argue that by accepting the punishment, Watson is admitting guilt. In a strange twist, it almost feels like Watson's only option is to dig in deeper and appeal the suspension and/or file a lawsuit against the NFL - which is probably not in his best interests in terms of playing football again. This could almost force Goodell back into option #1.

I just do not see any way out of this situation anytime soon.

So you are saying to treat his non-playing time as time served?

"byroan wrote:

They're in a good position to get a top pick next year.

Or lose their franchise!
I suppose that would take a vote of the "Board of Directors" of the NFL i.e. the owners.

"OwesOwn614 wrote:

And the beat goes on.

Tony Buzbee tells me two more lawsuits will be filed against #Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Per Buzbee, one case comes as a referral from an Atlanta lawyer. The second saw the HBO Real Sports coverage and came forward. @WEWS

— Josh Voight (@JoshVoightNews) June 14, 2022

You might want to re-word "And the beat goes on" - LOL
Isn't that part of what got him in trouble in the first place?

"plc001 wrote:

The story and cover-up here is starting to reach Ozark proportions. They should turn this into a movie and the proceeds should go to the victims.

Is Watson related to Bill Clinton?
Seriously!

"dolphin25 wrote:

Wasn't that the case weeks ago, but more cases have been added?

There were 22 cases for the past year, and two more were added about 2 weeks ago. Then earlier this week, Watson settled 20 of the 24 and they included non-disclosures. We also learned that the two new cases were not part of that settlement.

What we don't know is why 2 of the original 22 didn't settle. Their lawyer said that these will proceed to court, so it could be about more money or simply wanting to be heard publicly. That's sort of mind-boggling because the 20 confidential settlements don't do anything for you if two others are tried in court (everyone will just assume the other 20 were the same thing). But it could also go the opposite way- maybe they didn't offer to settle two of the cases because they were really weak.

So for now, there's 4 civil cases pending. However, a few media outlets say there's only 3. So maybe I missed something or another settled or got dropped. But it's not over yet anyway.

"Irishman wrote:

If he's lucky, he won't play or even be on the team. Letting him go to another team is both a favor and an apology - LOL

When is Cleveland going to relocate to some place, like they did a few years ago?
With luck they could end up playing for Russia in the European league - LOL

It was announced today that they plan to build a billion dollar stadium (in Cleveland). It is truly bewildering BUT their current stadium and facilities are by far the worst in the NFL. The players still have to cross the street in traffic to get from the locker rooms to the practice field...it's almost comical how much that organization stinks.

"KeyFin wrote:

There were 22 cases for the past year, and two more were added about 2 weeks ago. Then earlier this week, Watson settled 20 of the 24 and they included non-disclosures. We also learned that the two new cases were not part of that settlement.

What we don't know is why 2 of the original 22 didn't settle. Their lawyer said that these will proceed to court, so it could be about more money or simply wanting to be heard publicly. That's sort of mind-boggling because the 20 confidential settlements don't do anything for you if two others are tried in court (everyone will just assume the other 20 were the same thing). But it could also go the opposite way- maybe they didn't offer to settle two of the cases because they were really weak.

So for now, there's 4 civil cases pending. However, a few media outlets say there's only 3. So maybe I missed something or another settled or got dropped. But it's not over yet anyway.

We also know that one of the cases that hasn't been settled is Ashley Solis, who was the first woman to file. She and her attorney have always claimed this isn't about the money but rather to expose and prevent Watson. As she said to "take back power and control".

What's also interesting is that Hardin said that Buzbee originally asked for $100K for Solis before even filing that initial case. That figure is interesting because its what Watson was offering the plaintiffs to settle when the Dolphins were looking to make the trade.

So as you said, Solis/Buzbee may want their day in court or they may just be playing hard ball with the Watson camp. What we do know is that the Watson camp made a colossal error by not paying off Solis at the beginning when they had a chance. I chalk that up to Watson's refusal to admit he did anything wrong.

"Irishman wrote:

You might want to re-word "And the beat goes on" - LOL
Isn't that part of what got him in trouble in the first place?

Oh, dang!! LOL!

"VManis wrote:

We also know that one of the cases that hasn't been settled is Ashley Solis, who was the first woman to file. She and her attorney have always claimed this isn't about the money but rather to expose and prevent Watson. As she said to "take back power and control".

What's also interesting is that Hardin said that Buzbee originally asked for $100K for Solis before even filing that initial case. That figure is interesting because its what Watson was offering the plaintiffs to settle when the Dolphins were looking to make the trade.

So as you said, Solis/Buzbee may want their day in court or they may just be playing hard ball with the Watson camp. What we do know is that the Watson camp made a colossal error by not paying off Solis at the beginning when they had a chance. I chalk that up to Watson's refusal to admit he did anything wrong.

If these ladies settled for anything less than 1mil, they haven’t been paying attention.

"plc001 wrote:

If these ladies settled for anything less than 1mil, they haven’t been paying attention.

The initial ask was $100k each. We might never know what they settled for, but I sure am hoping it was well over that initial ask.

"KeyFin wrote:

It was announced today that they plan to build a billion dollar stadium (in Cleveland). It is truly bewildering BUT their current stadium and facilities are by far the worst in the NFL. The players still have to cross the street in traffic to get from the locker rooms to the practice field...it's almost comical how much that organization stinks.

Their current stadium is only 23 years old..

These owners are idiots when it comes to building stadiums

Except that guy in seattle

With Deshaun, as with other players in the past few years that got in major problems with the law, I never understand why the NFL doesn't just drop the hammer on a huge suspension. Antonio Brown is the best example. the NFL doesn't need him. I don't anyone less would watch the NFL or buy merchandiser if Brown would have been banned for life.
Unless the NFL just wants to be in the news so badly, they will take any store to keep them in people's mind.

"EastcoastEZ wrote:

With Deshaun, as with other players in the past few years that got in major problems with the law, I never understand why the NFL doesn't just drop the hammer on a huge suspension. Antonio Brown is the best example. the NFL doesn't need him. I don't anyone less would watch the NFL or buy merchandiser if Brown would have been banned for life.
Unless the NFL just wants to be in the news so badly, they will take any store to keep them in people's mind.

The NFL has a huge problem with leveling a big suspension because there's little precedent for doing so without a criminal case or clear proof of inappropriate behavior. Think Ben Roethlisberger, Ray Rice and Michael Vick for the former, Kareem Hunt for the latter. They're going to suspend him, but the union's going to appeal and an arbitrator will have to determine whether the suspension is in line with discipline allowed by the CBA.

If it's overturned for something lower, the league gets a pass for trying to do the right thing. Meanwhile, the NFLPA and arbitrator will take the public's criticism. The league's fine with letting the optics play out that way. Don't be surprised if the league throws a season-long suspension at him before his punishment is reduced to six games or fewer.

Antonio Brown was accused of some off-field issues that didn't rise to the level of criminal charges being levied. At least, none that I can recall (and I'm too lazy to Google). His inappropriate behavior has been in the locker room and there's no need for the league to suspend him when he's constantly been cut, only to be signed again. He's the example for teams winning stupid prizes for playing stupid games and there's probably not a lot of sense for the league to jump in and help somebody who's too stupid to save his own ***. Again, any league actions against him would have been appealed by the union and if there was no precedent, it would likely have been reduced on arbitration.

My opinion is he will,be out for the season.