No, you don't have it right. But, I'm sure that won't stop you from making this even more personal. Say what you will, but I won't respond in kind. I just wish you would not pretend you can think for me.
I'm not sure about this, but we may want to consider what it would mean for the league if Watson's attorney files a massive law suit against them for unethical and unfair punishment. They already have the Grudin, Flores, Snyder, and Zeke disasters on their plate and maybe even the Kraft one, although I think they were justified there. But, the NFL looks bad in all of those other cases and Watson's team might use those cases as an example of the NFL's pathetic history in dealing w/these cases in a fair and unbiased manner.
I asked a question, based on many, many posts of yours. YOU alone are allowed to have an opinion? Yet anyone that has their own opinion is wrong, and attacking you?
You make broad statements, yet get offended if questioned.
I already said you did not have it right. What I object to is being called a liar and deceiver. I object to people using mental health as a weapon when debating. I object to people attributing false quotes to my name. I object to the gang mentality. I have ZERO problem w/folks who disagree w/me. Go back a page or two and witness the conversation between Dave and I. He made a point. I countered it. He disagreed w/my points. I had ZERO problem w/him disagreeing. Neither of us used insults or made things up about what the other said. It was respectful. More should try that approach and this place would be a lot better off.
That’s fair. I’m not a lawyer and I don’t know the deets of all those cases but that would be in the con column for throwing the book I guess. Some business treat getting sued as a regular part of the price of doing business and the end user value of the brand and the ultimate cash flow is all that really matters. (Digression, a company I used to work for years ago did a lot of business with a certain property developer run by a well known celebrity politician. They would get served constantly, many times a month for playing games with paying the bills but playing the late bill game, bankrupt shell company game, cost them far less than the in-house lawyers’ salaries and settling for pennies on the dollar later.) I suspect the NFL worries less about a suit directed at them as a major blemish to the overall brand. This is starting to bubble bubble toil and trouble like a big cultural moment.
"Team Chemistry No Match for Team Biology" (Onion Sports Headline)
I'm not sure about this, but we may want to consider what it would mean for the league if Watson's attorney files a massive law suit against them for unethical and unfair punishment. They already have the Grudin, Flores, Snyder, and Zeke disasters on their plate and maybe even the Kraft one, although I think they were justified there. But, the NFL looks bad in all of those other cases and Watson's team might use those cases as an example of the NFL's pathetic history in dealing w/these cases in a fair and unbiased manner.
Kareem Hunt, ( Ahem).. and then Kareem Hunt got suspended for 8 games? 7? in 20I9? but you know what I'm referencing, now, and that was a different situation, and that, was there video and audio? .. anyway, that, on one hand, and then this on another hand, if you suspend Watson for, more time than Hunt? then... what message does that send about the first type of situation, and then, Watson, was already benched all of 2020, by the Texans anyways.
... I think of the movie " necessary roughness" and the part where they said, "There ain't no Brawl. What do you mean there ain't no Brawl? " Meaning, ignore all the broken tables and busted up bar and bloody faces, there was no fight, because we can't have that.
Can Deshaun Watson play better for the Browns, than Baker Mayfield would have? ... Now the Games count.
He said. She said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said.....
I find it interesting to see you continually post about the NFL injustly suspending Watson. I'm curious to k ow on what grounds. There must be half dozen posts Quoting what the NFL can do and it's arbitrary and up to them. Based on a he said she said situation there is every probability the NFL will susped Watson. Based on 24 civil cases and payments to a spa manager who was lining up the therapists including one that complained about Watson's conduct. It might be a long suspension. Dismissing this like it's a Browns Fan and local media invention is to not consider all the information. Jmo
Last edited by mgh888; 06/06/2207:29 PM.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
The NFL spent a lot of time and money over the last several years (decade?) targeting and building football among the female demographic. The literally had entire advertising campaigns targeted for this. This has the potential to poison a LOT of that effort, and that could lead to a hit on revenues.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
No, you didn't and I never said you did. Although you did attribute one false quote to me and I called you on it. I never said you were an enemy. I even gave your daughter huge props and congratulated you and your wife for a job well done. Of course, you ignored that and got on me and said to stop talking about Baker. I don't even respond to you unless you respond to me first. I respect differences of opinion. You don't. Such is life.
Regarding the way folks on here and how they feel about how the NFL doles out punishment............Do any of you remember the way most folks on here talked about the NFL when it came to Josh Gordon and Eric Wright?
No, you didn't and I never said you did. Although you did attribute one false quote to me and I called you on it. I never said you were an enemy. I even gave your daughter huge props and congratulated you and your wife for a job well done. Of course, you ignored that and got on me and said to stop talking about Baker. I don't even respond to you unless you respond to me first. I respect differences of opinion. You don't. Such is life.
He said. She said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said.....
I find it interesting to see you continually post about the NFL injustly suspending Watson. I'm curious to k ow on what grounds. There must be half dozen posts Quoting what the NFL can do and it's arbitrary and up to them. Based on a he said she said situation there is every probability the NFL will susped Watson. Based on 24 civil cases and payments to a spa manager who was lining up the therapists including one that complained about Watson's conduct. It might be a long suspension. Dismissing this like it's a Browns Fan and local media invention is to not consider all the information. Jmo
The thing folks have to remember is that the NFL doesn't actually care about what he did or didn't do, just as it doesn't care about what Kraft did. What the NFL cares about is how it makes them look and how it impacts them; and THAT determines how and when they feel they need to respond.
Now, perhaps that will have the appearance, at least, of being different now that these decisions are "out of the commissioner's hands". Don't fool yourself, though, I highly doubt that he doesn't hold the yoke over that "independent" reviewer.. it's all about building appearances. Or, maybe it's legit and they're using this person to be the moral compass the Commish has never been able to be without public pressure dictating it? Who knows.
In the end, though, you can absolutely BANK ON one thing: If this impacts NFL revenues or their bottom line in any way, a hammer WILL fall. So, if ticket sales drop, or season tix aren't all snapped up, games aren't getting sold out, etc.... stand by for the Pain Train.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
Optics Optics Optics .... and yes, I agree 100%. Better they are seen to do the right thing to keep the fan base at the max - which in turn maximizes revenue - regardless of anything else. Minimize the loses no matter what. That is my belief anyway.
I have no idea of how genuine and thorough the independent review is - but I do have to believe at the end of the day Goodell has ultimate authority to do what he thinks is financially in the best interest of the NFL and the owners as a whole. The independent review is almost like Optics for the players union - a way for Goodell to say "my hands are tied, this is what they decided". None of it is transparent and to be fair - it stinks especially as we are a small/mid size market no matter how well supported Browns Backers are. Interesting when you think about it - Watson is going to be judged 3 times: Criminal Case - the Grand Jury did not indict. Civil Case - to be determined, I'd say it is extremely unlikely Watson comes out unscathed and he will either settle which will be enough for some to tar and feather him, or if it goes to court the best outcome is bad press and sordid details of a lot of these sessions even with a not guilty verdict (again optics) - worst case he gets found guilty of one or more instance. . . . and then the cherry on top - as an NFL player he gets tried and his sentence is administered without anything he can do about it and as discussed, his "guilt" here is all about the financial impact of his actions on the NFL.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
In the end, though, you can absolutely BANK ON one thing: If this impacts NFL revenues or their bottom line in any way, a hammer WILL fall. So, if ticket sales drop, or season tix aren't all snapped up, games aren't getting sold out, etc.... stand by for the Pain Train.
Timing wise, Watson's case might peak the interest of the U.S. House Oversight & Reform Committee just before Goodell is about to make a decision concerning a possible Watson suspension. Below is the title of PFT article pointing out that the NFL commissioner will be testifying before Congress on June 22 on a wide array of subjects that might include questions about Watson's many cases.
The various possible topics of interest are listed in the article below..click the link.
If Roger Goodell testifies at Oversight Committee hearing, things could get very interesting
Posted by Mike Florio on June 3, 2022, 10:58 AM EDT link
Not applicable. OBJ made it clear he was going to sit on the floor in the middle of the room and pout until he got his way. Baker is not going to be granted free agency so there is no option for that in order to "find a new home".
I don't recall a quote from OBJ about sitting in the middle of the floor and pouting until he got his way. I may have missed it. I do recall a quote from Baker about it being best for the two parties to part ways. I recall him saying there were teammates who did not want to win and instead were playing for their retirement fund. I don't recall OBJ blaming coaching changes. I do recall Baker doing so.
Seems to me that Baker has been far more demonstrative than OBJ ever was.
Nope, OBJ didn't sit in the middle of the floor pouting, He was outright bawling. You want to quote Mayfield but OBJ is hands off? Let's see, OBJ demanded a trade in May 2021 while on IR. OBJ said "Cleveland is where they send you to die." OBJ missed 13 of 52 games but more importantly, OBJ missed the second half of 2020 and the first 2 games of 2021 and Mayfield's numbers were off the chart with OBJ not playing. After being traded to the Browns, OBJ was accusing the Giants of trying to sabotage his career. After watching LSU win the College Football Playoff national championship, Beckham appeared to hand large amounts of cash to Tigers players on the field. He reportedly received a two-year ban from school facilities as part of LSU's self-imposed penalties. Miller told Sports Illustrated that Beckham told him, “Don't come to Cleveland” last year when the two of them were discussing their desire to end up on the same team. OBJ was trying to get out of Cleveland since day 1. An unnamed Browns player did not have flattering things to say about Beckham:
“He does nothing. He talks to no one. He’s just got a malcontent attitude.”
As was noted, in a clear statement against the video posted by Beckham’s father, an open receiver isn’t always where he is supposed to be or his quarterback expects him. In fact, a video made by former NFL quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan when the Browns acquired Beckham showed similar concerns from his time in New York. “It is really hard to throw to a guy like that because you never know where he is, when he is coming out (of his break).”“Ocho (Chad Johnson) used to do this kind of stuff. He would be open, he would be wide-open every play. Now, he should have been running a post and run an out but he’s gonna be wide open on the sideline.” Watch the full video here:
I water our grass each morning or evening if there is no chance of rain down here in hot and sunny SC. We are needing rain in the worst way and the intensity of the sun is beyond belief. Anyway, I sit on the front porch and read my Kindle while the irrigation system is running in the front yard. I water for about 30 minutes to allow the water to soak in nice and deep which allows the roots to grow deep. While reading my novel tonight, I came across this passage:
"Look at the trash people read in the gossip columns. The faster your star shoots across the sky, the more people will want to see it collide withe the atmosphere and burn to a billion cinders before it disappears into oblivion. There are people who love that sort of blaze. Watching someone flame out before their very eyes? It's timeless theater."
Apropos? Perhaps? Perhaps not? Then again, I never understood the mindset of rubberneckers when there is a wreck on the side of the interstate. I have never understood ambulance chasers. What makes the misery of another person's circumstances so entertaining and fascinating to others? It seems to me that there are folks on this board who joyfully post one negative story after another about Watson and the Browns. In fact, they typically post the same story 3-4 times from different outlets in an apparent attempt to make the negative news more prevalent than it actually is. Interesting.
Regarding the way folks on here and how they feel about how the NFL doles out punishment............Do any of you remember the way most folks on here talked about the NFL when it came to Josh Gordon and Eric Wright?
I will ask this again. I remember who said what. Do you?
Thanks for taking the time to put your thoughts so well.
And here's the coolest thing about your post, imo: I'm reading it, and I don't feel compelled to form an instant opinion about it and respond with content of my own. It's the kind of post that makes me want to take some time with it; let it marinate. See if it changes the way I see things. And just as good: it may spark a new thought thread of my own, which is the entire point behind learning (and sharing) something new.
Quote
Am I missing anything?
Possibly. Probably.
Who cares? It's a big subject, with tons of facets. You grabbed off a big enough chunk to make someone else think. Kudos to you for that. I gotta say, you produced more interesting content in this one post of yours than we sometimes see in 4 pages of casual back+forth conversation. I for one, appreciate well-crafted essay form. It's efficient, avoids a lot of "after the fact explaining," and opens the door for further dialogue. Not gonna comment on your content tonight, because it deserves time and consideration, except for this one point:
I too, think that Big Punishment is coming. It will be an example of one of the last vestiges of "Institutional Browns Dysfunction" * that has plagued this fanbase for 2.3 decades:
The CLE Browns fan base has two seasons: the Football Season and the Soap Opera Season. And for year after year, the soap opera season has had a direct influence on the fans' football season. This time, it's no different. Our team is now stacked with NFL-level talent when before, it was stacked with cord wood... but that same 'off-season drama' dynamic is still trying to hang around. And it's going to impact this next season, sure as anything. Offseason effects postseason.
I haven't engaged in the DT offseason 6 v. 4 conversation because Baker isn't really gone, and DeShaun isn't really here yet.
So once again, my hapless, Browns-lovin' beaten-up ass is looking forward to another CLE season with big ???'s at the most important position in all of professional sports. A brand-new, top-5 rated QB may actually be unavailable on our roster for an indeterminate period of time, while the roster is stacked for a SB run right now.
To (ironically) paraphrase Don King: "ONLY IN CLEEEEEEV-LAAAND!!!"
Bro- I've always been Dawgtalkers' resident "Culture Guy." I've been preaching 'total culture transformation' since Butch Davis left. Olde-Schoole Dawgs will tell you: I've been a one-trick pony with this since the early days. CLE are sooooo freakking close to purging The Curse, and achieving Legit Elite. It's just like us to build a complete team, then roll the dice on something so 'high stakes' as this.
____________________________
I don't care how many 4 v. 6 threads dominate this forum, Clemdawg is adjusting his Cleveland Browns RealTime Game Expectations to watching a Browns team with #7 under center. For perhaps an entire season.
Clemdawg sees #4 as a CLE future investment that should prob. not be reasonably factored in as a 2022 asset. Having said that, I have every confidence that our current coaching staff have concocted a playbook for #7's abilities. It's what professional organizations do. And I believe that we finally... have a professional structure/playing roster in place- just minus the certainty of an ultimate game-changer at our immediate disposal.
DumbGuy Predix: Watson is persona non grata for the entire 2022 year. Jacoby Brissette carries the load for CLE. Browns fall 1 game short of playoffs. Big expectations for 4, post- suspension. #nextyearisouryear
* Institutional Browns Dysfunction I once begged: "Please, for the love of all things humanitarian, test the water in Berea. Test the entire town. Are the citizens as 'cray and dysfunct' as the folks in 76 Groza? It might be a Flint. MI-type thing..."
NFL declines comment on recent developments in Deshaun Watson case
Posted by Mike Florio on June 6, 2022, 7:48 PM EDT link
Plenty has happened in the Deshaun Watson cases over the past week. So we asked the league office for an update given the filing of two new lawsuits and the controversial radio comments made last week by attorney Rusty Hardin.
“No update,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy told PFT via email. “We will decline comment as the matter remains under review.”
The questions posed to the league included whether paid leave was back on the table, given recent developments.
Thus, it remains completely unknown what the NFL will do. It’s entirely possible that the events of the past week will make things worse, not better, for Watson.
With the entire Personal Conduct Policy a P.R. tool masquerading as an in-house criminal justice system, the impact of two fresh lawsuits (after more than a year of no new litigation) and Hardin’s widely criticized effort to downplay the habit of receiving and/or pursuing “happy endings” at massages cannot be ignored. The league likes to wait as long as possible to make these types of decisions, and it’s possible that the past week has helped move the needle toward a more stringent punishment for Watson.
The clock keeps ticking for the league. With a new, three-step procedure for imposing discipline on a player, time will be needed to finalize the process. Hardin has said that Watson’s camp expects to hear something in June. As of tomorrow, the first week of June will be over.
Inevitably, Watson’s case will be. At this point, nothing can be ruled out. In our view, at some point the voices in the league office arguing for Watson to not be permitted to play until all civil cases are resolved will be standing on stronger footing. There’s a chance that, due to the past week, they now are.
Well, I don't keep records like you do apparently, but with Josh? I'm sure I said he was a d.a. and deserved every suspension he got.
Do you have a point?
I think there was plenty of support for Flash. He was and still is a victim of his demons. He could have been anything .... Flash got a lot of support on the board. He still has my support, I can't imagine knowing that you could have been in the HOF but so addicted that you can't get out of your own way. It's sad. Regards the NFL rulings - IIRC Flash was literally like one thousandths of a % over the limit on a SECOND screening (the first wasn't over?) - and his ban took forever to be ruled on. The NFL did us zero favors. Didn't he also get pinged for flying to Vegas with Manziel (and coach) and others a day or two before his parole was over and also got dinged. When Flash went to NE and Seattle - the NFL ruled much faster and with much greater leniency despite at that point JG being a repeat repeat offender.
Other than deflection I am not sure what JG has to do with Watson. Other than it proving the NFL screws over CLE compared to other franchises.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
I've mentioned the issue of 'new information' and if it might influence the NFL's decision when and if they hand down punishment for Watson's past conduct...imo, there is 'no way' the NFL can ignore the info learned over the past few weeks. How much new information is going to become public..? There really is 'no way' to answer the question..it is an 'unknown'.
The 'new information issue' is not going to simply disappear, especially with the many civil cases pending and I see no way for the NFL to close book on the Watson case as long as new information becomes known. I look for the NFL to hand out an open-ended suspension of X number of games with the possibility of being increasing as information becomes available.
Deshaun Watson Lawsuit: More Graphic Details Emerge About Browns QB
A 24th plaintiff has accused Watson of sexual misconduct
Deshaun Watson continues to face allegations of sexual misconduct, and the number of women who have accused the Cleveland Browns quarterback now has climbed to 24.
Troubling details of Watson’s most recent allegation were released Monday. The language in the lawsuit is graphic, as the plaintiff alleges Watson exposed himself and masturbated during a massage.
You can check out an excerpt of the lawsuit here, which, again, includes graphic details. link
The lawsuit filed Monday is the second to be filed against Watson in the past week. Those two marked the 23rd and 24th civil cases.
The lawsuit filed May 31 also alleged the plaintiff was the victim of sexual misconduct during a 2020 massage. The most recent lawsuits come after two grand juries in Texas declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson, formerly of the Houston Texans, earlier this year. He previously faced 22 civil suits alleging sexual assault and sexual misconduct.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league were investigating whether Watson violated its code of conduct. He has not been placed on the NFL’s Commissioner Exempt List.
Watson, during an introductory press conference after the Browns traded with the Texans for the 26-year-old quarterback, denied all wrongdoing.
The following information contained in the article below adds a new dimension to the Browns starting QB question. Given the new information, were the Browns made aware of the info and as the article discusses, could the new info impact the entire Watson deal..? The question of who will be the Browns starting QB may have become very murky.
Could 24th lawsuit against Deshaun Watson eventually allow Browns to void his guarantees?
Posted by Mike Florio on June 7, 2022, 6:43 AM EDT link
Perhaps the most significant development from Monday in the Deshaun Watson situation was no development at all. Specifically, the lack of a response from Watson’s team to the 24th lawsuit could end up creating significant consequences for Watson with the league and/or the team.
Attorney Rusty Hardin issued a statement on Monday indicating that he’s unable to respond to the 24th lawsuit because “our legal team has not had time to investigate this new filing and had not heard her name until today.”
There’s an important distinction between not hearing her name and not being aware of her potential claims. The early stages of the civil litigation against Watson featured a delicate and convoluted guessing game as to who the plaintiffs were, because they initially sued under the Jane Doe pseudonym. The effort to identify potential plaintiffs potentially included a person whose name Watson didn’t know or remember who eventually would make the claims reduced to writing in the lawsuit filed Monday. Hardin’s statement says only that they hadn’t heard the person’s name until Monday; it’s possible they knew, via aggressive questioning of their own client, that there was a 24th interaction that could have resulted in a claim being made.
That’s important for multiple reasons. First, if this person whose name previously wasn’t known to Watson’s legal team now files a criminal complaint, the allegations could be submitted to another grand jury. And the graphic details contained in the 24th complaint, if repeated to a grand jury and accepted by the grand jury, could result in an indictment. (Although I’ve tried to avoid repeating the graphic details, the 24th plaintiff contends that, after trying to get the plaintiff to to touch his penis and asking her “where do you want me to put it?” he ejaculated — and “some of his ejaculate got on Plaintiff’s chest and face.”)
Second, if Watson eventually is suspended for the conduct alleged in the 24th lawsuit, the Browns possibly will be able to void his guarantees and move on from him, and possibly to recover a significant portion of his signing bonus.
As explained in early April, after we obtained a full copy of Watson’s contract, the contract exempts from the standard default/guarantee void language a suspension imposed by the league “solely in connection with matters disclosed to Club in writing pursuant to paragraph 42 and such suspension results in Player’s unavailability to Club solely for games during the 2022 or 2023 NFL League Years.”
In paragraph 42 of the contract, Watson “represents and warrants (except as disclosed to club in writing), as of the date hereof, that (i) Player has not been charged with, indicted for, convicted of or pled nolo contende to any felony and/or misdemeanor involving fraud or moral turpitude, (ii) Player has not engaged in conduct which would subject him to a charge, indictment or conviction of any such offense, and (iii) no circumstances exist that would prevent Player’s continuing availability to the Club for the duration of this Contract.”
The written disclosure was not attached to the contract. A source with knowledge of the document told us in April that it’s a “fair assumption” that it refers to the 22 pending civil lawsuits.
The question now becomes whether it was written broadly enough to encompass individuals who had not previously come forward, either with a lawsuit, a criminal complaint, or some other public statement. The plaintiff who sued last week, for example, was known to Watson’s camp because she did a podcast interview last August. Based on Hardin’s statement, they didn’t know the name of the person who filed the 24th lawsuit until Monday.
Beyond the question of whether the 24th plaintiff’s claims could potentially fall beyond the language of the exception to the default language in Watson’s contract is the basic reality that Watson ultimately could be suspended at some point after 2022 and 2023. Without any clear indication as to when the NFL will act against Watson and with literally two dozen lawsuits that will work their way through the legal system (with August 1 through March 1 out of bounds for any of the trials), if the league either defers all punishment until the cases are over (not likely) or imposes a preliminary suspension now and leaves the door open for another suspension based on the outcomes of the cases (a reasonable middle ground), Watson could still face a suspension in 2024 or beyond.
Then there’s the possibility that still can’t be ignored of the NFL changing its position on paid leave. Although Commissioner Roger Goodell removed paid leave from the table in late March, recent developments could put it back in play. When we asked the league that very specific question on Monday — a question the Commissioner freely answered in March — the league had no comment.
So we’ll see how it all plays out. For the first time since the flurry of lawsuits was filed in 2021, however, a case will play out involving a person whose name wasn’t previously known to Watson’s camp. That could (not will, but could) potentially create major problems for Watson, in multiple ways.
Thus, it remains completely unknown what the NFL will do. It’s entirely possible that the events of the past week will make things worse, not better, for Watson.
Deshaun had 22 claims against him, Florio. But no, these additional two REALLY take it up a notch!
Have we heard any quotes from a current Brown who asked Baker to reconsider and stay? I know Myles tried to recruit OBJ to come back and I know he said that he thinks Baker can land on his feet somewhere else the other day, but I haven't heard one single teammate asking Baker to stay in Cleveland. Of course, I could have missed those comments.
memp...yes, it does take the case to a higher level..higher than most of us even considered.
According to the article the possibility of 'criminal charges' may once again play out in a grand jury. I'm not sure where the 24th individual is from or the state where the alleged encounter may have taken place.
The question becomes, how much did the Browns know about the latest information and was the Watson trade based on information that was known at the time the contract was signed or became effective. We might find out that the Browns believed they had all the information about the allegations made against Watson, figuring he would get maybe a 4 to 6 game suspension and be ready to step in and start after a month or so.
Another question I have...were the Texans forthcoming with all the information they might have been aware of at the time they inked the deal with the Browns..? Did the Browns base their deal with the Texans on the 22 cases with the assurance from the Texans and Watson's lawyers that those 22 cases were all the exposure Watson was facing.
It’s possible and I certainly don’t know what the Browns do if he’s suspended in a Bauer like way but I doubt they void the contract and cut him. I’m guess they’d try to renegotiate something wherein he’s not paid during any of his “time off” and something else kicks in when he comes back. Takes two to tango of course and neither Watson not the Browns have exactly shown much in brains department surrounding all this. His reps would also have to know that as a free agent at the end of a lengthy suspension he’d likely still get a great contract. Worst case scenario and it is 2yrs, he’s still only 30. Assuming everything has died down and he’s finally settled all the cases (jeebus, why he isn’t doing everything in his power to settle all this asap is just so beyond me). But if it’s a year or 20 games or something, I’d bet the Browns would feel like they’d have to hang on to justify the 3 firsts. That’s going to hurt for a long long time.
"Team Chemistry No Match for Team Biology" (Onion Sports Headline)
Even if Watson is suspended for the entire year, the Browns would have one of the best qbs in the league for a long, long time. Watson is still very young and I think it would be dumb to void his contract and our guys aren't dumb.
It’s possible and I certainly don’t know what the Browns do if he’s suspended in a Bauer like way but I doubt they void the contract and cut him. I’m guess they’d try to renegotiate something wherein he’s not paid during any of his “time off” and something else kicks in when he comes back. Takes two to tango of course and neither Watson not the Browns have exactly shown much in brains department surrounding all this. His reps would also have to know that as a free agent at the end of a lengthy suspension he’d likely still get a great contract. Worst case scenario and it is 2yrs, he’s still only 30. Assuming everything has died down and he’s finally settled all the cases (jeebus, why he isn’t doing everything in his power to settle all this asap is just so beyond me). But if it’s a year or 20 games or something, I’d bet the Browns would feel like they’d have to hang on to justify the 3 firsts. That’s going to hurt for a long long time.
Is there any chance that his contract just freezes while he is on suspension? I forget the term used for guys who opted-out due to COVID...but the same thing. Another year(s?) of QB-hell...with ONE proven NFL receiver...and potential in the TE room...while Bitonio gets another year older and Myles' contract gets really expensive...and this promising year goes right down the toilet...again? Sounds familiar.
Have we heard any quotes from a current Brown who asked Baker to reconsider and stay? I know Myles tried to recruit OBJ to come back and I know he said that he thinks Baker can land on his feet somewhere else the other day, but I haven't heard one single teammate asking Baker to stay in Cleveland. Of course, I could have missed those comments.
Yeah...that happens all the time...right? Please. The players don't matter...it's the Org's doing...and only they can undo it.
What does Baker have to "reconsider and stay"? He's under contract...he's got no choice to show up unless he just wants to walk way from nearly 19mil.
I doubt Baker is allowed to come back, but if they want him after all this stupid, self-inflicted decision-making...they'll need to eat a lot of crow...and possibly pony up even more than the 19 mil.
Why would anyone - let alone a player - ask Baker to stay in Cleveland? It's not his choice.
