Report: 2 more women set to file civil lawsuits against Deshaun Watson
The Deshaun Watson saga is apparently going to go on for much longer than many of us thought. According to Josh Voight of WEWS, two more women will come forward to file lawsuits accusing the star quarterback of sexual assault.
One of the newest plaintiffs reportedly saw an episode of HBO's Real Sports with Bryan Gumbel featuring the case of Deshaun Watson and then decided to speak out. The other plaintiff, according to Voight, came forward following a referral from a lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia.
"Tony Buzbee tells me two more lawsuits will be filed against [Browns] quarterback Deshaun Watson. Per Buzbee, one case comes as a referral from an Atlanta lawyer. The second saw the HBO Real Sports coverage and came forward," Voight wrote on Twitter.
Tony Buzbee tells me two more lawsuits will be filed against #Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Per Buzbee, one case comes as a referral from an Atlanta lawyer. The second saw the HBO Real Sports coverage and came forward. @WEWS
If the report is true, the total number of lawsuits against the Browns quarterback will rise to 26.
Interestingly, the Browns quarterback recently changed his Twitter profile to private from public, as seen in the tweet below.
Why did Deshaun Watson go private? Did something happen? https://t.co/ISu3g05GBl
Will Deshaun Watson miss time on the field in 2022 for violating the NFL's policy?
The Browns are well aware that their star quarterback is in the midst of a sexual assault investigation (a grand jury failed to indict him on criminal charges) and may miss a considerable amount of time in 2022.
Watson already missed the entire 2021 NFL season with the Houston Texans due to the investigation, which began in the spring of last year. The former Clemson University player last played in 2020, when he led the league with 4,823 passing yards to go with 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
The Browns have come under fire for signing Watson to a record-breaking five-year, $230 million contract.
Deshaun Watson gets a fully guaranteed 5 year $230M contract. That is $80M more than the previous record for fully guaranteed money at signing ($150M). This deal was negotiated by David Mulugheta of Athletes First. twitter.com/RapSheet/statu…
Despite a federal grand jury declining to uphold criminal charges against the star signal-caller, the NFL can still impose a penalty in the form of a suspension for violating the league's conduct policy.
Several players in the past, including former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, were never charged with a crime after being accused of sexual assault. But the NFL still suspended him for six games for violating the Personal Conduct Policy. The ban was later reduced to four games.
If this is the case with the Browns' star quarterback as well, the team will have to look at other options like Josh Dobbs, Jacoby Brissett, and former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
Mayfield has been at loggerheads with the organization ever since the signing of Watson and wants out. But he remains on the roster at the moment.