DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Will Watson be the Browns Starting QB...continued

Deshaun Watson wants to “clear my name,” but it’s probably far too late for that

Posted by Mike Florio on June 15, 2022, 5:02 PM EDT
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When meeting with reporters for the first time since March 25, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was asked whether he will settle the 26 (and possibly counting) cases pending against him. He said, “I just want to clear my name,” and that he plans to do so through the legal process.

As a practical matter, it’s too late for that. His only chance at this point would be to stumble over evidence showing that it really was and is one giant conspiracy involving a still-growing collection of frivolous claims bundled together to shake him down for a major cash payment. Given that no evidence of such a ruse has emerged to date (months after 18 of the plaintiffs agreed to take $100,000 in settlement of their claims but the deals fell apart because four refused), the chances are at this point that it won’t.

Some would say that Watson can clear his name by winning every single trial of every single case. Beyond the fact that winning 26 (or more) trials will be roughly the same as winning 26 (or more) coin tosses, the trials will consist of testimony and other evidence being provided in open court, over and over and over again. For those who already believe based on the sheer volume of the claims that he’s more predator than prey, 26 (or more) trials won’t erase that — even if the jury sides with him every single time.

There are just too many of these claims, and it’s lasted for far too long. Many compare Watson’s situation to the off-field issues that engulfed Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2010. However, he faced only two claims, not 26 (or more). He was suspended, he served his time, he took the Steelers to the Super Bowl that season, the off-field situations resulted in no trials or other lingering entanglements, and within a year or two it was basically forgotten. By the time he retired, some Steelers fans bristled at even the mention of the fact that it occurred.

For Watson, it’s too late. He had a chance to prevent lasting damage from being done in early 2021, but his representatives refused to engage in negotiations after the first plaintiff requested $100,000 before filing suit. (An opener of $100,000 hints strongly at final settlement in the range of $50,000 to $75,000.) They refused to make an offer in response, which pissed off attorney Tony Buzbee. That sparked an avalanche of claims that may have never been filed if Watson had simply settled the first case and ended it.

Then, all pending cases were poised to settle in April 2021. The talks broke down over the question of whether the settlements would include nondisclosure agreements. Buzbee and his clients wanted one; Watson and attorney Rusty Hardin didn’t, presumably so that they could let everyone know that the cases were settled for a payment in the range of peanuts.

Apart from the fact that it will now be much more expensive to settle the cases, the situation has generated headline after headline after headline, few of which have been good for Watson. In the 22 days since HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel televised a feature focusing on the situation, it’s gone straight downhill for Watson in the court of public opinion.

Even if he settles all of the cases today, too many things have happened. Too much time has passed. Too many cases have been filed. There’s no way to turn the clock back to March 2021.

I want to touch on all the back and forth on why Watson wanted out of Houston... race may have played a bit of it but honestly I think it was primarily he completely lost trust of the entire FO... they traded his best receiver whom he was very close to without telling him... told him he'd be involved in the GM and coaching hire but then didn't include him at all.... all three of those decisions were AWFUL decisions by the Texans...

The Hopkins trade is one of the worst I've seen... only one that quickly comes to mind being worse than that was Indy trading for Richardson....Cassiro has been ok... but he was 100% a homer, boys club hire... Easterby is awful... and Cassiro is only with the Texans because he's buddies with Easterby... Culley was an AWFUL hire... you want to talk about hiring someone to tank the season?? Culley is a really nice guy, which is how he got the job... they needed someone nice to get away from BOB.... but no one thought he'd last more than 1 season when he was hired... frankly I thought he wouldn't last 10 games...

Watson did become more active and vocal after Bob McNair had his inmates comment... and the rest of the Texans FO tried to do some lip service to save face... they did some interviews about diversity with various players which felt pretty awkward... so maybe race played a part of the reason he wanted out... but the biggest reason is he completely lost trust in the FO...

same reason Baker will never play for the Browns again..

I would agree w/that jay. I just was trying to debunk the line of thought that a couple of posters are saying he wanted out because he couldn't pick the coach. The situation was far more complicated than that.

Boy, the NFLs verdict can’t come soon enough imo. It’s this suspension suspense that killing me most. Let the hammer drop already. Then everyone can basically stop talking about it and move back to football. Probably 3 more weeks before we know (that he’s probably gone for the year) and little more than drip drip drip of new bad news sucking all the air out of everything Browns. Let this and the Baler fiasco be done. Unless the Browns do something else colossally stupid before the start of the season. Never say never!

The NFL will wait until the last possible moment to render a decision on Watson, to see if anything else comes out. But the barn is getting full, day by day, and I would not be shocked if DW has to sit another year out of football. What an embarrassing situation this has become.


I like Bake, but I’m not a Baker minion - I’ve said it before, I recognize his flaws - there is a part of me though, that sees him suiting up for the Browns. He’d have to swallow some pride and agree to a working relationship with the HC, and it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

By the way, Stefanski survived several regime changes in Minnesota. Did he get lucky, or as a Vikings’ fan/ friend of mine once wondered, was he a snitch?

I don’t even blame Baker for calling out the play calls at some points last season. Why did Stefanski keep leaving Hudson out at RT, to single-block Watt in the last Pittsburg game?

And KS did make a lot of dumb play calls - they all do - but early in the game, kick the field goal instead of going for it on fourth and six or seven. Analytics does not measure momentum.

Hopefully, the Panthers take that option off the table. The Browns deserve this. I'd like to see Haslam tarred and feathered then run out on a rail.

Will Watson be the Browns starting QB? Most likely not. I'd be shocked if he was. I'd give Jacoby Brissett at least half the snaps in practice with the first stringers... have him ready to go.

A snitch?

Yea, I don’t have any clue what that means in this context either.

As stupid as the FO has been in all of this I still have the (unfounded but) sneaking suspicion that Haslam was the driving force in the Watson decision, and maybe the source of the “need and adult” quote. It just reeks of old butter fingers. Firing everyone would just compound these errors mightily and truly set the franchise way back.

Yeah, I hope we don't go back to firing everyone yet again. I have grown to like this group.

If we take away that they’re calm and well rehearsed at their press conferences what have they actually done that make you so confident about their ability?

I see several red flags.

The OBJ saga
How they handled Baker.
Not to mention the $230m contract, no draft picks 3 year in a row and their so called investigation.
The cringeworthy press conference when they introduced Watson. Even if they tried again nothing could end up worse from a PR standpoint.

From my perspective the Browns FO has totally failed to make the organization better the last 12 months. An absolutely disaster from pure management standpoint. If the 2022 season ends without a play off game and Watson hasn’t made a single snap then Berry and Stefanski is sack worthy in January 2023.

My reply would be lengthy and would not belong in this thread. I will respond if someone starts a FO thread.

We agree on that much. The only one I would like to see gone is Haslam, Jimmy, not Dee.

What are you talking about? I did listen to it. Unlike you, I was not posting it to further an agenda. There was both good and bad news in it. That is called "objectivity." You should try it some time.

He learned all his objectivity from you and your Baker takes.

..

j/c...



Per a source with knowledge of the intended strategy, the NFLPA currently is bracing for a recommendation by the league of “unprecedented” punishment of Watson. Whatever the specific penalty, the union will mobilize to defend Watson, as it is required to do by the federal duty of fair representation.

The source explains that the NFLPA would defend Watson in part by making an aggressive argument premised on the consequences, or lack thereof, imposed on a trio of owners who recently have found themselves embroiled in off-field controversy. The argument will be that the punishment of Watson is not proportional to the punishment of those owners, especially in light of this key line from the Personal Conduct Policy: “Ownership and club or league management have traditionally been held to a higher standard and will be subject to more significant discipline when violations of the Personal Conduct Policy occur.”

According to the source, the union’s defense of Deshaun Watson will take specific aim at the league’s handling of Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

As to Snyder, the union will argue that his punishment in light of the findings and potential recommendations of attorney Beth Wilkinson was weak and not fully enforced. As to Kraft, the union will argue that Kraft received no punishment despite allegedly receiving a massage became a sexual encounter. (Although Kraft was charged with solicitation, the case was dismissed based on the fact that the video surveillance utilized by law enforcement violated the rights of the various persons who were secretly recorded.) As to Jones, the union will argue that the league failed to investigate the voyeurism scandal involving former Cowboys P.R. chief Rich Dalrymple, including but not limited to the key questions of what Jones knew, when he knew it, and whether he knew that Dalrymple was secretly recording multiple cheerleaders while they changed their clothes.

The union believes that these arguments will be more likely to find traction than in the past, given the adoption in 2020 of a new, independent process for assessing potential Personal Conduct Policy violations committed by players. With Commissioner Roger Goodell or his designee no longer presiding over the effort to evaluate the evidence and reach a decision, the Disciplinary Officer ( retired federal judge Sue L. Robinson) could decide to allow the union to fully explore the manner in which the league handled Snyder, Kraft, and Jones.

The union, for example, could get access to evidence from Wilkinson’s investigation, the league’s handling of the information, and the key question of what Wilkinson would have recommended, if the league had bothered to ask her for a recommendation. (As previously reported, she would have recommended that Snyder be forced to sell.) The union also could get access to internal communications regarding whether Kraft should be disciplined, and whether Jones and the Cowboys should be investigated.

This approach would be separate from defending Watson against any claim of wrongdoing. It would be based on whether, even if he violated the policy with a habit of arranging private massages and trying to make those massages become sexual encounters, any punishment of Watson must be justified by the punishment imposed on Snyder, the non-punishment imposed on Kraft, and the lack of even an investigation of Jones.

Whether and to what extent this defense will hold any real water — and will gather any real evidence — will depend on Judge Robinson, who was jointly hired by the league and the union. But if the league means what it says when it says that owners are held to a higher standard and will be subject to more significant discipline for violations of the Personal Conduct Policy, the manner in which Snyder, Kraft, and Jones were handled by the league becomes directly relevant to the manner in which Watson is handled, too.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...im-at-nfls-treatment-of-multiple-owners/

Sounds like mostly posturing as a warning (for lack of a better word) against the rumored "unprecedented suspension".

I would hope that if the NFLPA is actually required to defend Watson, that their defense isn't hinging on a unbiased former judge leveraging any sort of precedent set by Goodell's past punishments. The whole point of setting this up was because Goodell's punishments never made sense.

I knew exactly what you were talking about and that is why I replied the way I did. I am not like you and only present articles that one-sided points of view. I was fully aware of the "but" part and all that followed. It is important. I posted the video for informational purposes that addressed both the good and bad. Thus, the word "objective." A foreign word to some, but not all of us.

Good. I have mentioned this on multiple threads in regards to the strategy that I think Watson's team should take if the NFL wants to hammer Watson. I didn't mention Jerry Jones and did mention Irsay, but the strategy is the same. Different set of rules for rich, white owners than there are from the black, paid help.

But everybody else was speeding too doesn't work in court either. Hopefully if it comes to that they have something better than this planned as a defense.

You think the slant of your articles debunks the vast majority of articles out there on the topic and that only your slant can be right. hilarious. So if that wwre true, why is watson waited until the new GM amd HC were hired to demand a trade?

Deshaun Watson officially requests trade from Texans hours after team names head coach

The Texans franchise quarterback has formally made his demand

It appears the Deshaun Watson era is over with the Houston Texans. The relationship has taken center stage this offseason and is fueled by Watson's angst toward owner Cal McNair and Jack Easterby, the tumult reaching fever pitch with the team reneged on promises to include him in helping to identify the team's next head coach -- with further gasoline having been poured on the fire by the hiring of Nick Caserio as general manager. What had not occurred yet, however, was a formal request (read: demand) by Watson to be traded, but the Texans have now reportedly received just that.

Watson has requested to be moved out of Houston, CBS Sports insider Jason La Canfora confirms, news that comes only hours after they named David Culley as the team's new head coach and work to build a new staff around him.

It appears the actual request isn't recent and has nothing to do with Culley, and Watson has continued to shun the Texans front office in their attempts to reach him to potentially open a dialogue into resolving things. That proves Watson is indeed looking to play hardball with the Texans, and to the point he's willing to waive his no-trade clause to make sure he never takes another snap for them in the future. Rumor has it Watson is already eyeing a handful of preferred destinations, with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins topping his list. Both have the collateral to make a serious offer for Watson, and the Dolphins are currently also owners of several of the Texans 2021 draft picks by way of the Laremy Tunsil trade, but there would be a lot of moving pieces to any sort of trade deal getting done.

For one, Watson must not only approve of the destination -- thanks to the his no-trade clause -- but so must the Texans. And considering the two sides aren't in communication as of late, that will make it that much more difficult to get on the same page regarding what would ultimately be a blockbuster trade. The Texans must also approve of the compensation package, be it Sam Darnold and more or Tua Tagovailoa and more, or a list of other possible scenarios that could also involve teams not mentioned here.

It's feels like a foregone conclusion they would not simply going to give Watson away from peanuts like they did to all-world wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins during the Bill O'Brien era, a move that could be viewed as the genesis of Watson's frustration in Houston, and it's also unclear if they'd prefer to move Watson to the NFC and out of their conference altogether. Furthermore, there's no guarantee they trade him at all -- Caserio recently proclaiming Watson as "our quarterback" -- which could set off a series of seismic football events that potentially include a holdout of some sort. Watson wants to play in 2021 though, but not for the Texans, and he indirectly made it clear via Twitter in late December that the differences are irreconcilable.

"Big Bro told me when they painted you a picture, don't let them paint you another picture."

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...have-three-of-top-10-aaron-rodgers-no-2/

Yes, he demanded a trade in the very midst of the hiring of a new GM and HC, but of course according to you it must have been something else.

I guess the fact he signed a contract extension just in September of the same year also means nothing in your scenario? I mean if he felt the owner was so racist, why would he have signed a contract only a couple of months earlier? He must have had an epiphany. Sorry man, your baseless theory doesn't hold water. You can buy into believing anything you wish but that doesn't mean it's true. I mean if you so choose you could have believed this too...


....Until of course you find out later he actually did admit to having sex with three of them. I mean he wasn't looking at them with that intention but had sex with them anyway, right?

Here's another popular theory that was being bantered about. "McNair is trying to ruin watson's reputation!" Which I also said was foolish at the time. Why would a billionaire wish to undermine one of his greatest assets to only harm himself? Then we learn later that not only wasn't McNair trying to undermine watson, but the team actually provided him NDA for massage therapists to sign to keep them silent.

Yeah, he thought McNair was so racist that he signed a contract extension in September only to claim McNair was so racist he didn't want to play for the Texans a couple of months later? Even you can't really believe that.

Yes, now all the NFLPA will have to do is is explain what the word consensual means. That's the difference between a creep and a predator.

Exactly so.

What the NFL has done with some of the owners is wrong. Kraft got off Scott free for doing (once) what Watson might be guilty of, or something similar leastways ..... With Synder I actually think they WANT to oust him but might need to be careful how they do it. But none of that negates or should deflect from any player being held accountable for their actions.

The NFLPA is bound to defend practically any and every player against having his livelihood revoked. That’s what union do. Of course they can defend vigorously or weakly. I’ll bet, if this continues on its current trajectory they won’t have much juice for a vigorous defense. And everyone knows the league is never going to hold owners to anything close to the same standard as everyone else. I mean, come on now, that would be unAmerican.

I have wondered if DW went to one of the glamour teams with the certain influential owners New England, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, New York Giants LA, Dallas, even Baltimore etc. would there be this much attention focused on it. Some attention but not this much I would wager.

j/c:

Something to ponder, whether you want Watson to be punished or not. Remember the Browns and other teams hired private investigators and I'm sure his defense team did as well. The Browns and Watson's defense have said that more clarity once the facts come out. Don't be too surprised if they have some bombshells of their own.

Interesting comment. I am sure their media would be all in on Watson and hiding as much as possible.

But, you can only plug up so many holes in a crumbling dam.

Agreed SB. But you and my fellow Browns fans know where I was going with this.

Nick Caserio brushes off possibility of the Deshaun Watson trade being undone

Posted by Mike Florio on June 16, 2022, 4:23 PM EDT
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As the last three weeks have entailed a chain of negative developments for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, some have wondered whether, at some point, the Browns could undo the trade with the Texans.

Houston G.M. Nick Caserio, appearing Thursday on SportsRadio 610, was asked about the possibility of the Browns getting out of the trade, months after the fact.


“Any trade — forget about this particular one — any trade that takes place, so there’s a process that you have to go through,” Caserio said. “Teams agree on that and then once you agree on that, it gets submitted to the league. The transaction gets processed and it goes on file with the league. Unless there’s somebody that’s gonna go in there, you know, overnight in a mask and try to get on a computer, and may have a cyberattack like that, I’m not sure anything that can be done there.

“No different than a draft day trade. Even though it kind of happens more in real time. You have an agreement in place, OK, you contact the league. Or we have a trade, we have an agreement, send the paperwork along, and everybody goes on their merry way. Unless I’m missing something, or unless [you] call Goodell and ask him for interpretation and opinion, I would say that whatever trades have happened have happened in the past, and now we’re just focused on training camp and moving forward with the team.”

Caserio is right. Nothing can be done at this point. The trade happened. It’s over. It’s done. The Browns knew or should have known about the circumstances surrounding Watson. They assumed the risk that there will be more lawsuits. They assumed the risk that there will be more negative media coverage. They assumed the risk of one or more adverse verdicts against Watson. They assumed the risk of whatever the league may do with Watson under the Personal Conduct Policy.

It this goes off the rails for the Browns, they can’t blame the Texans. The Browns allowed themselves to get caught up in a four-team chase for Watson, and they apparently glossed over or underestimated the potential problems that still could emerge for the team and the player.

The remedy for the Browns isn’t to back out now. The remedy for the Browns was to back out then. Instead, after Watson removed them from the competition, they put together an offer he couldn’t refuse, and they won the race.

Although the Browns would never admit that they wish they hadn’t, the other three teams are surely glad that they did.

Yeah, I think most people believe this manufactured story about how the Texans' lack of responsibility could reverse this deal is nonsense. The Browns have said they've done thorough research and investigating on this issue. If this trade deal complete fails (I don't think it does in the long term) the Browns have no one to blame but themselves. Certainly, not the Texans.

This just seems like a story created just to further build on the Watson situation. We'll see.


I'm not sure this is true. It's just Florio's opinion. The finalists (not counting the several additional teams that inquired) were willing to trade for Watson considering the plethora of complaints that already existed before the more recent additions. I think this comment is just silly.

Your hero is once again taking a little bit of fact and manipulating it by interjecting his own slanted opinions on the situation to continue to bash the Browns.

There was never any chance of this getting reversed. None. It's a done deal.

For better or for worse, the Browns are now married to Deshaun Watson.
Will he be the starting QB? Absolutely... eventually. This year? Probably at some point.