Watch: "What are we doing?" - NFL reporter disgusted with Deshaun Watson's Browns trade amid alleged sexual misconduct allegations
NFL reporter Michelle Beadle had some choice words for NFL fans after the Cleveland Browns traded for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Seriously…what are we doing? https://t.co/agfm6foVjM
On a recent episode of her podcast for The Athletic, “What Did I Miss with Michelle Beadle”, she questioned how fans can overlook the gross behavior of a man because of his talents on the field:
“It doesn’t seem like anywhere else in the world are we so quick to just let a man do gross things, right? Like we will excuse it if he can throw a ball, run fast, make a shot, hit a ball, whatever. We’ll excuse all of it.”
She added that those defending Watson don’t know or care about you and are still willing to take his side:
“Deshaun Watson doesn’t know you. He doesn’t give a damn about you. You don’t know him. And even if he was able to meet you, he still wouldn’t care. But you are willing to put your name on the line and your integrity to defend a man who you don’t know what he did.”
Beadle concluded her statement by saying that 22 is a lot of smoke, and there’s, at least, a little bit of fire here:
" I am assuming you have women in your life, and let’s just say one of the women was one of the 22 women. Are you going to tell me that, because he wasn’t criminally charged, he’s cleared?”
The quarterback was traded from the Houston Texans to the Browns this offseason and was subsequently given a five-year, $230 million dollar contract with the Browns, including a $44,965,000 signing bonus, $230 million guaranteed, and an average yearly salary of $46 million.
Important contract note for Deshaun Watson, who got a 5-year, $230M contract. His base salary for 2022 is $1M, which means if he’s suspended, it’ll come out of that base.
For the 2022 season, the 26-year-old will get a base salary of $1,035,000 and a signing bonus of $44,965,000, while carrying a cap hit of $10,028,000 and a dead-cap value of $230 million.
Deshaun Watson and the sexual assault allegations
A grand jury in Harris County, Texas decided not to pursue criminal charges of sexual assault and misconduct against the quarterback, but he currently has over 20 civil lawsuits against him.
Deshaun Watson was cleared of criminal charges but still faces 22 civil lawsuits for alleged sexual misconduct. https://t.co/5mXmD1Lmd8
Watson could also still face discipline from the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy, meaning he’ll likely miss a few games for the Browns in the 2022 season. As we continue through the offseason, we’ll see how all of this comes out.