Following Jon Gruden's email scandal, NFL Twitter calls for action against Deshaun Watson
Jon Gruden is gone, and now some are furious that Deshaun Watson is not gone as well. Jon Gruden resigned before he could be presumably fired because of a trove of offensive emails that came to light as part of an investigation into the workplace culture of the Washington Football Team.
While those were just emails, Deshaun Watson has been accused of much more serious misconduct pertaining to sexual harassment. Consequently, the question making the rounds is whether it's fair for Deshaun Watson to remain eligible to play in the NFL while Jon Gruden has to leave?
Deshaun Watson has been accused of sexually assaulting 24 different women. He is currently eligible to play in the NFL. Yet Jon Gruden was just forced to resign as a coach because of years old derogatory emails. Actions used to matter more than words. Now it’s the opposite.
NFL Twitter calls for action against Deshaun Watson
Jon Gruden sent multiple emails to Bruce Allen that were demonstrably racist, homophobic and misogynist. He compared the lips of a gentleman, who happens to be black, to Michelin tires. He raged against female referees in the NFL, presumably dumbstruck by the temerity of women daring to do jobs only men once did.
He called the drafting of Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to declare for the draft, a pressure strategy to introduce "queers" into the NFL. On top of that, he allegedly exchanged photos of topless Washington cheerleaders.
All of these emails were verified and proven to have come from him. Once caught, he had no option but to resign lest he be fired.
Deshaun Watson, on the other hand, has been accused of sexual harassment by two dozen women. There is an ongoing civil investigation against him. Yet, unlike Jon Gruden, he is still in the NFL, which has caused a slight divide in the NFL world.
How is Deshaun Watson still able to play in the NFL and Jon Gruden was forced to resign🤔
I dont support anything either of these men have done but the #NFL has some odd inner workings going on
There are two schools of thought to this. One side says that even credible allegations of sexual harassment should lead to suspension. Others argue that allegations are merely allegations and that a person cannot be suspended until proven guilty by due process.
@ClayTravis As usual, here’s another bad Clay Travis take. Deshaun Watson is in the legend situation, we know John Gruden sent these emails less than three years ago. So those aren’t old. Allegations is the keyword here. But go do the puppet dance for followers!
Such exchanges flowed quickly on Twitter throughout the day, with both parties firm in their respective positions.
Deshaun Watson is being investigated for alleged actions (and is being held out by his team during the investigation).
Jon Gruden's actions were confirmed and left him in a position where he couldn't possibly be the face of a franchise, so he "resigned."
Why is this so hard?
Suffice to say that both men did something wrong and there are merits to both sides of the argument. So just how long will it take before the pressure from fans and perhaps NFL figureheads begin to affect the Houston Texans?
Only time will tell. In the meantime, Watson continues to be a pariah on his own team, as he has not and likely will not see the field this season.
Also Read: Who is Deshawn Watson’s Girlfriend, Jilly Anais?