"Only two more to tie his amount of NFL wins" - Redditors react to news of two new civil lawsuits being filed against Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson has reportedly collected another two lawsuits, bringing his total to a horrifying 26. Will that be the final figure? History suggests not. The NFL appears paralyzed and unable to conclude any sort of investigation without being in possession of all the facts. They may have to wait a while.
The Cleveland Browns are sticking by their man, and they have 230 million reasons to do so. The Browns may be the last remaining members of Team Watson, and he certainly has very little support coming from the readers on Reddit.
One redditor provided a brutal put-down by highlighting that the quarterback is close to having as many lawsuits as he does career wins:
One Chicago Bears fan was quick to see the positive for his team:
A fan of the Browns' division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, couldn't help but twist the knife with a kind reminder:
One Redditor reminded us to spare a thought for the Browns PR team:
Browns fans also had plenty of criticism for their own team, especially owner Jimmy Haslam:
Many questioned the role the league has played, and whether it is time to consider some form of boycott. Here is one example:
Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, a few Redditors tried to bring a bit of humour to proceedings:
Has the NFL handled the Deshuan Watson situation poorly?
It is now 15 months since news of the first lawsuit became public knowledge. In that time, the NFL has not managed to take any sort of action against the new Browns quarterback. The initial gameplan was to allow the legal process to play out, whilst conducting their own investigation which commenced on March 18th 2021.
They probably assumed it was a sensible approach, but it turned out to be a decision that has backfired in spectacular fashion.
One lawsuit was soon four, which then grew to 16. Less than three weeks after the initial lawsuit, the total stood at 22. But the league had made its stance clear, and there would be no deviation from it. As sponsors abandoned Watson and the victims spoke out, the NFL still found no cause for concern, even when criminal charges were filed.
On October 26th 2021, Roger Goddell stated that there was not enough evidence to place Watson on the commissioner’s exempt list. After Watson was cleared of criminal charges, the league stood back and allowed the Browns to construct a contract that protected Watson from financial penalties.
Just as the NFL was about to conveniently release the findings of their long awaited investigation, pandemonium ensued, leaving the league with little option but to wait for the revelations to stop.
Many would say the league's handling of the situation has been poor, while others are far more critical. In any other walk of life, heads would roll. It will be interesting to see what happens in this situation.