In her ruling, Judge Davis said the case has already taken on a high profile and that not revealing the names of the plaintiff wont stop the public from speculating. In court, Buzbee offered to release the names of women confidentially, out of privacy and security concerns, but Hardin argued that making the names public could result in people coming forward with relevant information about Watsons accusers. The Texans finally dealt Watson to the Browns on March 18, with a personal conduct policy suspension looming from the NFL. Well, Im glad to hear they are. Nov 16, 2022 It's almost time now. That suspension, which was originally set at six games, was extended to 11 games through a settlement between Watson and the league. Prior to that latest suit, all of the women who filed suit against Watson originally did so as Jane Does. To defend him, Watson hired another high-profile Houston attorney in Hardin, who previously represented running back Adrian Peterson in his 2014 child-abuse case and pitcher Roger Clemens in matters related to the Mitchell Reports allegations of steroid use in baseball. He attended Gainesville High School from the fall of 2010 and played for the school's Red Elephants football team. Now we will learn the identity of at least one accuser. Miami wanted Watsons legal situation to be resolved to finalize a trade, according to sources. BEREA -- Deshaun Watson quickly slammed the book shut on the 2022 season. [16] Watson entered his true freshman season as the backup to starter Cole Stoudt, but still received extensive playing time. The NFL is investigating Watson for a potential violation of its personal conduct policy, and the Houston Police Department is investigating at least two criminal complaints against Watson, according to a response to an open records request. Watson still faces 22 active civil suits accusing him of sexual assault and sexual misconduct, but the grand jurys decision not to prosecute eliminated one barrier for the teams considering a deal for Watson. He said Watson gets two to three massages per week and often can only schedule them at the last minute because of his busy schedule. [109], In the Week 1 NFL Kickoff Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Watson threw for 253 yards, one touchdown and one interception and rushed for 27 yards and a touchdown during a 3420 loss. More importantly, Peoples-Jones has caught two of the five touchdown passes Watson has . A person familiar with the decision tells AP quarterback Deshaun Watson has changed his mind and will accept a trade to the Cleveland Browns, Friday, March 18, 2022. McNair was aware that his personal attorney contacted both parties to suggest mediation, the team said in its statement to SI. He again came up short, as Louisville's Lamar Jackson was awarded the Heisman Trophy, finishing with nearly twice as many first-place votes as had Watson. [123] He became the first player to lead the league in passing yards on a team with at least 12 losses since Jeff George of the Oakland Raiders in 1997. "This is why they aren't being overly communicative with teams. As such, if Mr. Watson is ever to have a chance at properly defending himself, he can no longer refrain from requesting that the Court mandate that Plaintiff identify herself as required by the law.. Watson also said he regretted stating he had no regrets during his introductory news conference with the Browns in March, a comment that triggered a lot of people. But he continued to maintain hes being wrongly accused. The Cleveland . [104] He finished the game with 247 passing yards and a touchdown along with 55 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Hardin also said he has not heard from the NFL, which is investigating Watson for potentially violating the leagues personal conduct policy. He cant practice with the team, but can participate in on-site rehab, meet with non-football staff, attend meeting and meet with head coach Kevin Stefanski. Watson was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. His reentry has allowed him to attend meetings and work out on his own. The proposal was handed down by the NFL and NFL Players. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. [139] In Week 13, Watson started against his former team, the Houston Texans. Watson threw 16 touchdowns in the month of October, setting the NFL record for touchdown passes by a rookie in a calendar month. Watson, who requested a trade in January, reported to Texans camp to avoid daily fines but has been a limited participant in practice. "I'm just going . The Houston Police Department confirmed an investigation is ongoing but declined to comment on the number of complainants. [85] Watson led the league in average time spent in the pocket and was second in average time before throwing. 2:18; Booger wouldn't be surprised if Browns win AFC North with Watson. He threw for over 10,000 passing yards and completed 90 touchdown passes against 32 interceptions. But the response does not name anyone other than Watson and the plaintiffs. Hes just trying to deflect.. [76][77] On November 8, Watson underwent successful surgery on his right knee to repair his ACL, and no further damage was reported. [42][43] On November 26, he passed for 347 yards, six touchdowns and one interception in a 567 victory over South Carolina. Hardin has said it has impeded his teams effort to investigate the accusations. Houston believed that Watson was on course to lead the franchise to the next level and even signed their former 2017 first-round pick to a four-year, $177.5 million contract extension with $111 . [39] On October 1, Watson threw for 306 passing yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions in a 4236 victory over Louisville. [154][155][156], On April 7, 2021, Nike and Beats By Dre suspended endorsement deals with Watson. 2022 NFL Enterprises LLC. We take that very seriously, Goodell said of the allegations facing the Texans quarterback. According to the seven-page response, eight plaintiffs bragged about, praised and were excited about massaging Watson; seven willingly worked or offered to work with him again; three lied about the number of sessions they had with him in their original complaints; three lied about their alleged trauma and resulting harm; five told others they wanted to get money from Watson and five have scrubbed or entirely deleted social media accounts they used to promote their businesses. Jacoby Brissett has filled in for Cleveland and played well during Watson's absence. Houston police are investigating Watson after a complainant filed a report regarding Watson on Friday. Most passing touchdowns in a single game by a rookie: 5 (October 8, 2017, vs. Obviously the police have been investigating also. Barring a strong offer, Texans brass will try to get him back into the fold before the season begins." The league also does not yet have access to evidence gathered by police, whose criminal investigation is ongoing. Kevin Stefanski on Deshaun Watson's debut for Browns vs Texans: 'I think he will be ready to roll' Watson last played in an NFL game in January 2020 We will continue to closely monitor the situation, Nike said in a statement. Buzbee said in an Instagram post he was filing suit against Watson for alleged misconduct against women but offered minimal details. His first practice with the team will be on Nov. 16. there remains no timeline for that decision. We will fully cooperate with the Houston Police Department.. That suspension, which was originally set at six games, was extended to. In a statement, Hardin alleged Buzbee was impeding efforts to investigate the accusations by not releasing names of accusers to Watsons legal team, which at this point was defending the quarterback against 16 civil lawsuits. Head coach David Culley said Tuesday that Watson is not injured and is participating in team meetings. November 28, 2022: QB Deshaun Watson was reinstated from suspension. The Houston Texans reached settlements with 30 women who made, or intended to make, claims accusing Watson of sexual assault and sexual misconduct, attorney Tony Buzbee said. The Houston Texans organization has not had any direct contact with either party.. (AP Photo/Don Wright) BEREA The Browns' season had been over for barely an hour when Deshaun Watson made clear what was one of his first priorities. Over two weeks, we tried to investigate these things privately, said Hardin, who began representing Watson against these lawsuits in mid-March. This included consecutive 14-1 seasons in 2015 and 2016. Watson's last game action was on Jan. 3, 2021. Watson did play in a game for the first time in 19 months last week when he got the start for Cleveland in the team's preseason opener against the Jaguars. Roger Goodell. His last game with the Texans was in the regular-season finale on Jan. 3, 2021, which the Texans lost to the Tennessee Titans by a score of 41-38. Both women accuse Watson of inappropriately exposing himself and touching them with his erect penis. [151] Ashley Solis, the first of the women to identify herself, claimed that during a massage appointment at her home, Watson exposed himself and touched her hand with his erect penis before she ended the session and asked him to leave. Baxleys allegedly occurred in June 2020. The streak or whatever in its totality means very little to me, but if I think about the moments within it, they're all like this. Less than 24 hours after a 28-14 loss in the finale in Pittsburgh, his focus had shifted to the changes necessary for him and the Browns to finally meet expectations next season after going 7-10. During his high-school career, Watson had worn #4, but at Clemson, that number had been retired after quarterback Steve Fuller graduated. Bryan Burney, Watsons marketing manager, said in a declaration distributed by Hardins office that he spoke with this woman in January of this year and she asked to be paid $30,000 for her indefinite silence. Burney alleges the woman said her encounter with Watson was consensual but claimed it was a matter that both she and Deshaun would wish to keep secret and that she would need to be paid for her silence. Burney denies paying the woman. Deshaun Watson will be staying with the Houston Texans past the trade deadline. The 26-year-old quarterback has been accused of sexual misconduct by two dozen women in Texas. The suit also claims that the owner of the company contracted to provide massage therapy for the Texans, Genuine Touch, stated concern to the team about Watson seeking massages via Instagram. Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). A Texas state court judge ruled Watson must sit for a deposition within 90 days in a lawsuit brought by Ikea Roberts, a masseuse who alleges in her complaint Watson harassed her during a 2020 massage and pressured her into oral sex. He has not played in a regular season game since the 2020 season. Watson is also scheduled to be deposed on Friday in relation to some of those civil suits but is expected to plead the fifth amendment, according to a statement from Buzbee, the lawyer for several of Watsons accusers. The lawsuits of Ashley Solis, who was the first woman to file suit against Watson, and three others will continue, Buzbee said. It appears the Watson team thinks that if these courageous women are forced to identify themselves, they would slink away and not pursue this matter, Buzbee said in a statement. Again, every day hes here, he comes in, he works. Because Plaintiffs counsel filed the actions anonymously, Mr. Watsons counsel can only speculate about Plaintiffs identity, Hardin writes in the filing. The Dolphins wont trade for the Texans quarterback before Tuesdays deadline expires, according to a source. One requires plaintiffs to state their names if they are known. The NFL launched an investigation into the allegations just days after the first lawsuit was filed against Watson. He made his regular season debut for the Browns in Week 13 against the Texans, his former team. He chose Harvey, who served as a federal prosecutor with expertise in criminal law, including domestic violence and sexual assault. A third hearing, which was scheduled for Friday afternoon, was canceled after a 14th woman agreed to attach her name to her complaint. According to a statement from the league, Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine who will hear the appeal. game. Watson hasnt played for the Texans at all in 2021 amid investigations by the FBI, Houston police and the NFL regarding Watson, who faces 22 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and sexual assault. [136][137], On August 18, 2022, after the NFL and the NFLPA reached a settlement, Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 regular season and was fined $5 million. Prior to this, the Texans only other statement on the matter said the team would stay in close contact with the NFL as it investigated the matter. Plaintiffs filed these lawsuits anonymously using pseudonyms as is their right. The final six games of the Browns' 7-10 season were all about getting Watson back in the groove of being an NFL quarterback. Hours after Nikes announcement, Reliant Energy announced it, too, was severing ties with Watson. Deshaun Watson 's out of the NFL playoffs, but don't feel too bad for the guy . Attorney Tony Buzbee said nine of his 12 clients involved in the latter hearing, including Solis, would voluntarily identify themselves. vs: CIN. Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns . After Watson allegedly "forced Plaintiff's hand onto his penis" during the massage, he allegedly told her, "I will not have you sign an NDA, but don't ever talk about this." [82] He passed for 139 yards and a touchdown in the 207 victory. [124], Following the 2020 season, Watson requested a trade by the Texans after becoming disgruntled with changes in the front office and coaching staff. On that date he still faced 22 civil lawsuits, many alleging sexual misconduct, and assault. Watson completed 29 of 49 passes for 235 yards as the Texans lost 217. [118] Watson was fined $7,500 by the Texans in December 2020 for violating the league's COVID-19 protocols after he and several teammates gathered at the opening of his new restaurant without wearing face masks. 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