Editor’s note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
Amari Cooper was signed to the Browns during the offseason, and so was Deshaun Watson.
Watson’s shocking deal occurred after Cooper joined the team. So, during Cooper’s Wednesday press conference for the Browns, he was asked about what his initial reaction was to the Watson news.
“I was happy,” Cooper said. “I was elated. My friends called me right away.”
The thing was, though, is Cooper actually found out a bit later than the rest of his Browns teammates. Cooper was in Dubai at the time, which is eight hours ahead of Cleveland. The receiver didn’t hear the news until he woke up the next morning.
“There’s a huge time difference,” Cooper said. “I think when it happened here... it was like 12 there, so I was asleep. I woke up and saw a whole bunch of text messages and stuff like that, guys were like ‘Man, you lucky,’ some of my former teammates. I was like ‘What?’ and I checked social media and the news. It was cool, I was happy about that.”
Although Cooper and Watson both played for Texas teams—the Cowboys and the Texans, respectively—Cooper admitted that they had only met once or twice.
Watson is still facing 22 active civil lawsuits concerning sexual harassment and assault during massage therapy sessions. The lawsuits describe accounts that range from Watson refusing to cover his genitals to “touching [a plaintiff] with his penis and trying to force her to perform oral sex on him.” No trial dates have been set for the 22 active cases.
The quarterback also previously faced 10 criminal complaints; however, he is not facing charges following two separate grand jury hearings. According to Jenny Vrentas of The New York Times, those complaints described similar situations, including Watson ejaculating on the massage therapists and either other forms of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault.
On March 11, a Harris County grand jury declined to charge Watson on nine complaints, returning nine “no” bills. Nearly two weeks later, another grand jury in Brazoria County declined to charge Watson on a 10th count.
During Watson’s introductory press conference with the Browns, after he was traded on March 18, he continued to deny ever assaulting, harassing or disrespecting any of the women. Cleveland tweeted on Tuesday that “QB1” had arrived for offseason workouts, including a photo of Watson.
The NFL’s investigation into Watson for violating the league’s personal conduct policy is still ongoing, and he could still face suspension. The NFL and NFLPA reportedly agreed for former U.S. District Court Judge Sue Robinson to act as an impartial arbitrator to lead the investigation into disciplinary cases similar to Watson’s.
As the civil deposition proceedings continue, here’s a recap of what has happened on and off the field since Watson’s last snap.
