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.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is excited to play for Cleveland, so much so that he showed off his new jerseys on Instagram. However, it was clear how close Watson was to going elsewhere, as Browns jerseys weren’t the only jerseys in view.
Watson forgot to put a Falcons jersey out of view before taking the picture.
Atlanta was reportedly the runner-up in the Watson trade negotiations, and it was close enough that Watson apparently spoke with running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Jarvis Landry about joining the Falcons.
However, Watson chose to go to Cleveland after the Browns guaranteed him $230 million over the course of his five-year contract.
Watson could not start the season under center for Cleveland as he remains under investigation by the NFL. A grand jury recently returned nine “no” bills on nine criminal complaints against Watson, effectively concluding the criminal proceedings against him in Harris County. But the quarterback’s legal troubles are not over. He still faces 22 active civil lawsuits filed against him that allege sexual harassment and assault. The accounts in the suit allege a number of graphic incidents of sexual misconduct, including Watson allegedly refusing to cover his genitals and forcing women to put his penis in their mouths.
The civil depositions are ongoing, and they began on the same day the grand jury convened. The quarterback reportedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during the first two depositions, but he reportedly answered questions under oath several days after the criminal proceedings concluded.
As the civil deposition proceedings continue, here’s what has happened on and off the field since Watson’s last snap.
