Trying to sort this out in my head. Thought I would compare it to the Roethlisberger situation and see if that gives me any clarity. Typing as I think about the similarities and differences so leaving this as an observational post and not offering any opinions or conclusions at this time.
When Ben's incident happened he was already a steeler, don't like what he allegedly did but I am a believer in supporting your own.
The browns actively sought out watson which leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
What watson allegedly did was despicable. What ben allegedly did was infinitely worse.
I think the article OCD posted states it quite well. What watson did doesn't live up to the ethical standards we should reasonably expect from a human being.
Ben had 2 separate and distinct incidences of this magnitude, watson had 22 of his
After the ben incident, he seems to have straightened out his life. He was a total douchebag. Then he got married, started a family and settled down. Seemed to stay on the straight and narrow afterwards. "Seemed". Watson to be determined but to date he seems to show no remorse for any of his actions. HE seems alsmost smug about it. An attitude of Yea I did it, so? I am deshaun watson, I can do that if I want. Just my impression of his attitude.
Anybody have any similarities/differences that they see?
i just want to clarify to the board, not saying you said this, but Watson did not rape anybody. he's a creep because this is basically prostitution? paying women for "massages." i think the difference is that all of the women came in contact with him voluntarily, and the lack of evidence that suggest he forced himself on to someone, leading to no criminal charges, has to be a factor. right now we have consenting adults knowing what the deal is, taking a flight that watson paid for to his home, or meeting up with him on the road.
however, i dont think one being already on the team vs courting a Qb from another should make a difference. i believe the steelers at one point actually tried to get rid of Ben? it happened a while ago so im not sure.
on that point of it happened a while ago: Watson has maintained his innocence. OCD brought up what Acho said, which is very true that we ALL have to remember here:
just because you're not facing criminal charges doesn't mean you're innocent, AND just because people accuse you of something doesn't mean you're guilty. you can't pick one and not consider the other. if Watson is maintaining his innocence and actively fighting the civil suits and answering questions, then what exactly is he supposed to be remorseful for? contacting women who clearly offering a lot more than a late night massage?
one thing i try to do is put myself in someone's shoes with the info we have. so if i'm Watson, if you want me to feel remorseful for contacting unlicensed "massage" therapist, then i guess.
but i'm not gonna feel remorseful for something i didn't do, which is sexually harassment and/or assault.
thats why this issue is so complicated that i just focus on the football aspect of it. i can only imagine me jumping on my high horse and trashing this dude, but then if i'm accused of something, hoping that people give me the benefit of the doubt until all the facts come out.
its so easy to judge someone in a situation, yet so hard to expect people not to judge you if you find yourself in a dicey situation.
i deployed 4 times and have 100% va rating from PTSD, yet people on this very board have accused me of lying about my service and faking the PTSD to get the 100%. just by people even posting that places the thought in the back of people's mind that "hmm, maybe swish is lying, or tried to pull a fast one with the VA."
remember all the cop protest and racism and "hey, lets wait til all the facts come out" rhetoric? well guess what i'm gonna do? wait til all the facts come out.
