Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault and is seeking help, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org
During an appearance on The Chris Collinsworth Podcast, Texans coach Lovie Smith addressed Deshaun Watson’s departure from the team, and he used an interesting metaphor.
“Sometimes divorce is good,” Smith said. “That’s my statement that I’ve made a lot of times when you know a split’s gonna happen and both parties are gonna win once it does.”
Watson requested to be traded from Houston after the 2020 season, and multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him surfaced shortly thereafter. He is currently facing 22 civil lawsuits filed by massage therapists, each describing accounts sexual misconduct. The lawsuits against Watson detail graphic accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault that occurred during massage therapy sessions. The accounts range from Watson 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.”
Despite the allegations, the Browns traded for Watson in March and signed him to a five-year contract worth a guaranteed $230 million. He has denied all allegations against him, and two Texas grand juries declined to indict him on criminal charges. However, he could still face discipline for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Smith wasn’t hired by the Texans until March 2021 as the team’s defensive coordinator and was promoted in February to head coach, so he and Watson never crossed paths on the field.
“Again, I don’t know exactly what all happened,” Smith said. “Accusations are there, and if they have merit that will all come out in time but for our football team we needed to move on.”
