If you are Deshaun Watson, you have to put some of the blame on your lawyer for this.
One of the problems, when you have so many women accusing you is that you have to appease each one, and they all might want different things. Watson has 22 civil lawsuits, and we learned yesterday at least nine women had filed criminal complaints against him. Some of the nine are also part of the 22, but not all of them.
It is HIGHLY likely if Watson were able to settle the cases in October, he would be playing for the Dolphins now, who are in playoff contention, and the criminal complaints would have gone away.
Instead, there is a chance he won’t play in 2022 if the cases keep dragging out.
Pro Football Talk has the details on how close Watson was to becoming a Dolphin.
As the Dolphins stand within one game of making the long climb act to .500 after a 1-7 start, they came very close to having a different quarterback during the ongoing five-game winning streak.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, 18 of the 22 plaintiffs suing Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions were ready to settle with him in late October. Four holdouts prevented a deal from being done.
In turn, that prevented the Dolphins from trading for Watson.
Miami owner Stephen Ross wanted Watson, but only if Watson settled all of the pending civil actions. Without 22 of 22 resolving their claims, the Dolphins wouldn’t do the deal.
The Panthers would have traded for Watson without a civil settlement. However, Watson decided not to waive his no-trade clause for a ticket to Carolina.
If Watson is charged criminally, even if they are misdemeanor charges, he will likely be suspended for a part or all of the 2022 season. If he isn’t charged, but the civil cases drag on, teams will have to decide if they want to take the risk of trading for him in the offseason and paying him $35 million next season.
At the moment, this could go any way, so stay tuned.
Flip the pages for the women speaking on all the things Watson allegedly did to them.