During a ping-pong of mostly diversions and contradictions in press conferences following the NFL’s 11-game settlement with Deshaun Watson, Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam allowed the truth to slip.
Haslam, squirmy and unable to make eye contact with reporters, was in the midst of answering a question about Watson’s deviant behavior when he added, “It’s important to remember that Deshaun is only 26 and is a high-level quarterback.”
Ding ding ding. Watson is “high-level” quarterback and Cleveland is banking that with enough time and touchdowns, fans will forget his transgressions and the wins and associated revenue will come pouring in.
That is why the Cleveland Browns “won” the Watson sweepstakes by frontloading $230m in guaranteed money and a measly yearly salary, all so the quarterback would be minimally impacted by any length of suspension. Watson is a high-level quarterback, so Cleveland rewarded him knowing full well he was accused of being a sexual predator and was likely to miss a significant chunk of the season. Because of Watson’s high-level ability, Haslam, along with his wife Dee and general manager Andrew Berry, stood in front of cameras and issued the usual platitudes about how they properly vetted Watson and believe he’s a good guy and he’s going to be a community stalwart, and they believe in second chances. Nowhere did the Haslams appear to have an ounce of respect for their fanbase – or empathy for the alleged victims.
The Browns signed Watson knowing at the very least he had a disturbing fetish and at worst was a serial sexual predator. They didn’t care. After all, high-level quarterbacks don’t grow on trees.
To recap, Watson’s suspension stems from a lengthy NFL investigation in the wake of 24 massage therapists filing civil suits accusing him of sexual misconduct. The lawsuits describe a multitude of lurid behavior by Watson. One suit accuses Watson of demanding that a young masseuse work his inner thighs before he started masturbating. She was stunned and froze. Watson responded by saying, ‘Relax. It is okay to touch it.’ ”the suit said. Then he ejaculated. According to a New York Times investigation, Watson booked sessions with at least 66 different massage therapists in the span of 17 months.
Watson has settled with 23 of the 24 women and now the NFL, yet so much remains unsettling about this case, especially Watson’s stone-cold inability to show remorse.
This lack of remorse was cited as one of the reasons leading to the initial six-game suspension issued by disciplinary officer Sue L Robinson.
With settlement talks brewing, Watson’s camp attempted to play along. Ahead of last Friday’s preseason game in Jacksonville, Watson participated in a cringy in-house interview that appeared to be scripted. “I want to say that I am truly sorry to all of the women that I have impacted in this situation,” he told the Browns broadcast crew. “The decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position, I would definitely like to have back, but I want to continue to move forward and grow and learn and show that I am a true person of character.”
Then there’s the league and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who went public last week and stated that Deshaun Watson deserved a year for “predatory behavior.”. But if Goodell truly believed this in his heart of hearts and wanted to make an example of Watson, he could have utilized the power granted to him in the CBA to oversee the appeal and issue a year suspension. He could have shown fans and women who have been victimized by sexual predators that the league cares about them. That this wouldn’t just be the latest example of a rich athlete or celebrity escaping trouble with minimal damage.
But the NFL didn’t save face because soon after the settlement with Watson was made public, he made the league, and himself, look like even bigger fools. An underlying premise of the settlement was an acknowledgement that Watson did something wrong and needed to be remorseful. Goodell, in the league’s statement, said “Deshaun is committed to doing the hard work on himself. Watson played along for a split second issuing a statement claiming he takes, “accountability for the decisions I have made.”
Literally minutes later, he flushed any semblance of remorse down the toilet. “I’ve always been able to stand on my innocence and always said I never assaulted or disrespected anyone,” he told reporters.
As if Watson’s bait and switch didn’t feel icky enough, there was the quick realization that Watson’s return in Week 13 will be on the road in … Houston. C’mon. No one in the league office thought they should speak up and point out this is a horrific idea that appears incredibly self-serving?
After the “homecoming” in Houston, Watson and the Browns will travel to Cincinnati where the chanting is likely to be even more severe than the “you sick fuck” chants Jags fans hurled at him last week.
But insults won’t mitigate the damage. Watson’s behavior has been perverse and his attempts at apologizing hollow. That Watson is allowed to take the field this season is, quite frankly, horrifying. It’s an affront to Browns fans with a moral compass, NFL fan who are parents and must explain this to their kids, anyone with functioning brain cells really. And it’s the latest reminder to these alleged victims and women everywhere that when it’s us v a high-level NFL player, no decision-maker will be on our side.
