Margarita M. Phillips 
While a league investigation is still ongoing into the 22 sexual assault and harassment allegations against quarterback Deshaun Watson, it was well known that any team that acquired him would be in for a relationship battle. public.
Well, the Cleveland Browns, who acquired and extended Watson last Friday for a slew of draft picks and a guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, began their PR battle with a post on the networks. social. And it only took the organization two full days.
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 20, 2022
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 20, 2022
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 20, 2022
It’s been more than a year since the league began investigating Watson on March 18, 2021, just two days after attorney Tony Buzbee filed the first lawsuit against Watson. Between that date and April 5, 2021, the total number of lawsuits filed against Watson reached the final tally, 22. The number rose to 23, but only 22 women identified themselves and continued the lawsuits.
It took until April 29, 2021 for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to finally comment on the investigation saying, “We are obviously following this and reviewing this ourselves, independently. We will take significant steps as part of our personal conduct policy. When we get to that point, we will definitely make a decision.
As of July 26, 2021, 10 women have filed police complaints against Watson. On March 11 this year, the grand jury investigating the allegations revealed that Watson would not face any criminal charges. A week later, he was traded to Cleveland.
It’s unclear where the NFL stands with its investigation into the Watson allegations. As it stands, the NFL could suspend Watson for a minimum of six games through its code of conduct policy for sexual assault violations. The league confirmed in a statement that any trade would have “no effect on the NFL’s ongoing and thorough investigation into the serious allegations against Watson. If the league’s investigation determines that Watson violated the personal conduct policy, disciplinary action may be imposed in accordance with the policy.
The deal for Watson is also structured to minimize the financial risk to him if suspended. He is expected to earn a base salary of $1 million this year, which means he will lose less than $60,000 per game if suspended. A full-season suspension means he would still get $229 million off his contract.
