Opinion: With more allegations, comes more uncertainty for Deshaun Watson's future
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The sexual misconduct lawsuits against Deshaun Watson are accumulating quickly now. First there were a handful, then a dozen, now there are 19, including three on Monday alone. Another woman has come forward to tell her harrowing story to Sports Illustrated. So thatās 20 in all.
Twenty women who were giving Watson a massage claim he exposed himself or purposely touched them with his genitals, in two cases forcing them to put their mouths on his penis.
If true, itās obviously so awful that Watson should not only never play football again, he should spend significant time in prison. Watson and his attorney, it should be noted, have broadly denied the numerous allegations. Every single one of these women, they say, is not telling the truth.
Those defending Watson see this deluge of lawsuits as some kind of tricky conspiracy: 19 women from four different states ganging up with highly-publicized Texas attorney Tony Buzbee to ruin a 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback.
So it is significant that the 20th massage therapist has come forward not to file a civil suit as another one of Buzbeeās clients, but simply to talk to SI. This woman said that about 45 minutes into Watsonās session with her in 2019, he took off a towel covering his waist and threw it onto the floor. He then āwas lying face up on the table, naked and totally uncovered,ā according to the womanās account. āI was in shock.ā
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Watsonās behavior led the woman to believe āhis intentions were differentā than simply wanting a massage. At one point, she said she interpreted one of his comments as a suggestion to touch his exposed penis.
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SI corroborated the womanās allegations by reviewing text and social media messages and by interviewing a family member with whom the woman spoke after the massage.
If all this were happening during the football season, Watson likely already would have been placed on the Commissionerās Exempt List. He still might end up there if thereās an indictment by a grand jury or criminal charges are filed.
But since weāre in the middle of the offseason, so far nothing has happened to him. If the Houston Texans wanted to make a statement, they could tell him heās not welcome at their facilities, even if little is going on there now. Perhaps that is a decision that is coming soon.
The NFL already is investigating; it opened its inquiry into the allegations against Watson nearly two weeks ago. The league didnāt announce this. Buzbee did. He let us all know when he posted a confidential letter from Lisa Friel, NFL special counsel for investigations, in which she asked if his clients would cooperate with the leagueās investigation.
āWe take allegations of this nature very seriously,ā NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Monday evening. āWeāve initiated a review led by Lisa Friel under our Personal Conduct Policy. We are continuing to closely monitor all developments.ā
So are we all. One wonders how many more lawsuits there might be, how many more women might come forward in the media. Already the sheer volume of accusers is staggering. Has any athlete ever faced so many horrifying allegations at once?
If we want answers, weāll need patience. We cheer all the time for athletes we think we know. Of course, we donāt know them at all. How many thousands of people think they know Watson because heās a great football player?
Maybe they do. Maybe they donāt.