Every time I think about the Deshaun Watson situation, I think about the numbers.
They are astounding. They tell the story.
A new number was added to Watson’s story on Friday, and it’s disgusting again. And at least two new questions beg to be asked.
The number: thirty.
On Friday, attorney Tony Busby announced that the Houston Texans reached settlements with 30 women who had or planned to file lawsuits against the team, alleging they turned a blind eye to Watson’s behavior while he was employed there.
A woman formally filed a lawsuit against the Texans after reports by Jenny Vrentas of The New York Times in June revealed that the franchise provided the location that Watson used for at least some of his many massage appointments and that the team’s head of security was provided the quarterback with a nondisclosure agreement after a woman threatened to expose Watson’s alleged dirty behavior.
According to Buzbee, she won’t be the only one looking to file a lawsuit. Instead of going to trial, the Texans settled with 30 women.
Before being dealt to the Browns, Deshaun Watson spent all of last season disabled from the Texans’ roster. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File)
In a statement attributed to Houston team owners Janis, Hannah and Cal McNair, the team said in part: “While our organization was unaware of Deshaun Watson’s alleged misconduct, we have intentionally chosen to resolve this matter amicably. This is not an admission of any wrongdoing, but instead a clear stance against all forms of sexual violence and misconduct.”
Considering that the Texans’ head of security, former Secret Service agent Brent Nakara, was the man who reportedly provided the NDA to Watson, it’s hard to believe that the Texans’ management had no idea what he was doing Watson away from the team facility.
Other numbers, in case you need reminding: The Times found 66 women — 66! — over 17 months, whom Watson approached under the guise of wanting a massage, some of the women not even licensed or trained to provide the service, but he insisted they do; 24 women formally filed civil lawsuits against Watson, alleging varying degrees of sexual harassment and/or misconduct; 20 women contracted at quarterback last month, while four did not.
The story continues
It’s worth repeating that professional athletes who need actual therapeutic massage will have one or two they use regularly, and these days many NFL teams provide them in the practice facility.
By the time the Cleveland Browns gave up three first-round draft picks to acquire Watson, he was facing 22 lawsuits. The Browns didn’t care and signed him to an unprecedented $230 million, fully guaranteed contract that, in a show of what really matters, included a reduced base salary for 2022 to financially protect Watson in the event the league stop this season.
The new questions to ask: If the Texans face a civil lawsuit related to Watson’s allegations and reach a settlement with 30 women, will the NFL sanction the organization? And if Watson hadn’t requested a deal from the Texans in January 2021, would the public have known about any of this?
The answer to the first question must be yes. This being the NFL, don’t be optimistic that the right thing will be done. This, of course, is a group that appears to have completely ignored the behavior and allegations made against Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, who refused to appear before a congressional panel investigating the gross mistreatment of women in the team’s offices and other potential problems within of franchise.
Potential penalty for the Texans: Losing Houston’s 2023 first-round pick to Cleveland as part of the Watson deal. They may have settled relatively quickly with the 30 women, but that doesn’t mean we should all forget that Texans played a role in enabling Watson’s alleged predatory behavior. They don’t have to skate because they wrote a check.
On that last question, we’ll never know. But professional and college teams have a long history of doing what they can to protect players from foul situations, especially star players.
The NFL held its hearing with Watson, so now there’s at least one more number we’re waiting to know: how many weeks he’ll be suspended.
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