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Editors’ 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.
As mandatory minicamp begins in Cleveland next week, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski refused to issue comment to reporters on the status of quarterback Baker Mayfield, who remains on the roster despite the team acquiring Deshaun Watson from the Texans.
Mayfield has been away from the team since Watson was acquired via trade with the Texans in March. Mayfield had left shoulder surgery this offseason and skipped voluntary workouts as his status with the Browns remains in limbo.
Cleveland’s front office has been working with Mayfield and his representatives on potential trade partners to send their former franchise quarterback elsewhere, but to date, a trade has not occurred as teams have been hesitant to pay Mayfield’s full salary next season.
The Browns don’t want to pay the majority of Mayfield’s contract next season for him to play somewhere else, leaving the quarterback’s status in question entering the summer.
Cleveland fully intends to move forward with Watson as their starter, but the quarterback has plenty of issues clouding his status heading into next season as well. As the league has yet to issue discipline against the quarterback regarding the 23 civil lawsuits detailing alleged sexual harassment and sexual assault by Watson against massage therapists, a 24th civil case was filed against the quarterback on Monday.
The accounts range from Watson allegedly refusing to cover his genitals to the quarterback “touching [a plaintiff] with his penis and trying to force her to perform oral sex on him.”
Watson’s attorney Rusty Hardin told Cleveland.com last Friday that the quarterback is expecting to hear from the NFL in June or July about whether or not he will be suspended.
If Watson is unavailable, perhaps Mayfield could step in as the starting quarterback once again. However, given how events have transpired over the last few months regarding Mayfield’s status with the team, that conclusion seems like a longshot at this point.
