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Sexual Assault Suits Against Watson

CloakNNNdagger said:
Didn't care about their skill level............though he sent anatomical pictures of the areas to which he wanted concentrated attention...............Groin, Inner thighs and Buttocks.............he mysteriously left out pictures of these 2 areas which he felt were most important when it came to the actual massage session.:

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Somebody should rent a billboard on a major road in Cleveland and show these pictures with a “Welcome to Cleveland DeShaun” statement.
 
I used to have a certain amount of sympathy for Cleveland, but not now. When we thought he was going to Atlanta, I said Atlanta joined Dallas and Tennessee on my hate list. Now it's Cleveland.

Screw Cleveland. I hope Watson gets his sorry ass kicked out of the NFL and we can enjoy their picks for a few years while Cleveland goes through several regime changes and loses games.
 
djohn2oo8 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1509127826401861634
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Two grand juries in Texas declined to bring criminal charges against former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson who was traded earlier this month to the Cleveland Browns – a deal that has since stirred questions about the organization's decision to bring him in despite 22 ongoing civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and harassment.

But a prominent Texas-based criminal attorney who specializes in sexual abuse cases, believes those civil cases will shed light on the victims’ claims.

Michelle Simpson Tuegel, who has represented sexual abuse and assault survivors in high-profile cases such as the Larry Nassar litigation, told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday that she was not shocked by the Harris County and Brazoria County grand juries' decisions not to bring charges against Watson and that the outcome of those cases will not necessarily be the same in the civil proceedings.

"I think where people really miss certain things is that the criminal process commonly fails adult survivors and the burden of proof in a criminal case is a lot higher than in a civil case or in an administrative investigation – like what the NFL conducted or what schools conduct for sexual assault on campus – a similar administrative type of investigation of sexual misconduct," Simpson Tuegel explained.

"A lot of people think ‘well there’s no prosecution therefore these claims don’t hold weight’ and I see in my practice every day that that is not the case."

Simpson Tuegel said that around 80% of the victims she represents in civil proceedings have seen no criminal prosecution. She pointed to one of her recent cases in Harris County where the defendant was not charged by a grand jury despite "overwhelming evidence" but the victim in her case was ultimately awarded $44 million in a civil lawsuit.

"The burden of and the evidence that is required for the civil claim is different."

Simpson Tuegel said civil cases could take months and "sometimes it takes years" to play out which could happen in Watson’s situation.


In the meantime, she expressed concern for the Browns’ and the NFL’s handling of the Watson trade, arguing that it sends a "chilling" message to sexual assault victims.

"What we have seen over the years is sadly a repeated pattern of the NFL favoring athletes over and at the expense of victims and I think especially in this MeToo or post-MeToo era, the NFL to some degree is trying to save face by giving the impression that they’re conducting an investigation and so their decisions and his $230 million contract are OK. But I think what’s missed there is this investigation and even in their admission, does not include speaking in depth with the victims."

Simpson Tuegel was referring to comments made by Browns’ general manager Andrew Berry who failed to say during Watson’s introductory press conference on Friday whether the organization reached out directly to any of the alleged victims during their independent investigation.

"We as an organization know that this transaction has been very difficult for many people, particularly women in our community, and we realize that it has triggered a range of emotions, that as well as the nature of the allegations, weighed heavily on all of us," Berry opened the conference by saying.

"It was really through this five-month odyssey and the information we were able to amass, the reference work, and obviously working through due process and the legal process, that got us comfortable pursuing a trade for Deshaun."

But Simpson Tuegel disagrees.


"I think without that side of this it's not a two-sided investigation … What they really want to do is keep these talented athletes in their organization making money for them rather than dig into and press pause at least until they can get to the bottom of what 22 different women are saying."

She continued: "It has a chilling effect, not just on these women, but other survivors who are looking at this really public case."

Browns fans have been divided over the Watson trade but many have spoken out against it, something Simpson Tuegel says is a sign that "times are hopefully continuing to change."

"I think it speaks to it being a different time and that, especially the number of women that have bravely come forward and have had to do so in a very public way without being anonymous – that carries weight for a lot of people," she said.

"This is not a pleasant process for these women to go through, especially when they’re having to do so publicly and with such a public person connected to it. So I think people are pushing back and Browns fans are standing up speaks to how times are hopefully continuing to change in regard to how we respond to allegations of sexual misconduct, in that the people have the power, the fans have the power to say nothing is more important than the safety of a human benign. Not football games, not money, not winning and the Browns fans standing up and saying that is really admirable, especially some of the public figures who have done so."
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1508895502561124367
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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
DESHAUN WATSON ACCUSER: I'VE BEEN RUTHLESSLY ATTACKED ONLINE CALLS FOR MY RAPE, MURDER
3/31/2022 10:10 AM PT


"I wrestle with feeling it would be easier to not exist. Many survivors share these feelings, and some of Watson's fans have expressed that they would like for us to be raped, imprisoned, or killed."

That was written by one of the women who has accused Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct during a massage session, writing a piece for The Daily Beast about the alleged abuse she endured after the star QB (who has adamantly denied any wrongdoing) was not charged with any crimes.

The accuser, Lauren Baxley (she has decided to reveal her name), recalls waiting for the Texas Grand Jury's decision ... and when the word came down the men and women of the jury didn't believe there was enough evidence to criminally charge Deshaun, it triggered a barrage of hate.

"More than that, the choice to not indict Watson on our testimonies -- that were deemed 'highly credible' by prosecutors and the detectives who worked our criminal cases -- opened a floodgate of abuse, slander, and libel toward us on the internet," Baxley wrote.

She continued ... "The worst of the women-haters came out, declaring the no-bills proof that we were 'prostitutes' all along."

FYI, "no bill" means no charges.

And, Lauren says she's offended by the assertion she did anything wrong.

"As someone who has faithfully strived to maintain the highest level of professionalism, and as someone who -- in my entire career -- has never experienced the type of behavior that Watson displayed, comments like that are not only infuriating and untrue, they are wholly shifting the blame from a serial predator onto unwitting and unwilling women."

Baxter doesn't go into detail about her accusations against Watson, but does say it's the first time she experienced such an allegedly traumatic incident at work.

"I have worked with dozens of professional athletes over my decade-plus career as a massage therapist, and no session before Watson ever turned sexual in nature. I have worked with dozens of television and film actors through comic conventions, and no man has ever exposed himself to me, nor assaulted me in any way prior to Watson."
 
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Of all the questions that have dogged Deshaun Watson during the past year, one of the biggest is why a star NFL quarterback sought massages from at least 40 women, including many strangers he met on social media in 2020.

His attorney Rusty Hardin said last year that a big reason for it was the COVID-19 pandemic. “Spas shut down,” Hardin said then. “Nobody was getting massages unless they came up with an ad hoc way to do it.”


But that reason didn’t seem to hold up when Watson himself was questioned about it recently, according to the attorney for 22 women who have sued Watson and accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.

“He couldn’t say any place was shut down because of COVID,” the attorney, Tony Buzbee, told USA TODAY Sports. “He didn’t reach out to any place that shut down. He didn’t even ask.”

Buzbee said Watson’s answers on this question have not been consistent during the pretrial discovery process for the lawsuits, renewing the focus on it more than a year after the controversy started. It is the first time Watson has discussed it under oath.


“He just basically reached out to people he had never met before based on their picture, and never asked about their qualifications or anything,” Buzbee said.

In one case, Buzbee said Watson admitted to engaging in oral sex with a plaintiff. Watson said it was consensual. The women says it was not.

“Regardless of whether we believed it was consensual, now we can prove he’s reaching out to these women for that very purpose, and he’s pushing them, he’s cajoling them,” Buzbee said.


Hardin said these questions were not relevant to whether Watson engaged in sexual misconduct with these women, though legal experts say it relates to what Watson's intentions were in these encounters. Hardin also accused Buzbee of selectively leaking only portions of depositions that favor his cases.

"When you ask about 'he couldn’t name a place that had been shut down,' well neither can I, but the governor ordered it for 90 days in Texas," Hardin told USA TODAY Sports. "There were no massages (then), period. Nobody except people on Instagram were doing it."



The governor's shutdown lasted from March to May in 2020, when only a few of the alleged incidents occurred. The rest happened from June 2020 until early March 2021. Asked why Watson went to so many different women he didn't know instead of a trusted circle of five, Hardin said Watson was "all over the country when he’s getting these things. He’s not going to know any of these people."

All of the alleged incidents were in or near Houston, Watson's city of residence, except for single cases in Georgia, Arizona and California.

"Most people don’t know the person giving them the massage," Hardin said.

After 10 women filed complaints to police about Watson's massage habits, two grand juries in Texas declined to indict him on criminal charges in those cases. But much remains at stake as the 22 lawsuits press on in civil court. They could take another year to resolve. He also still could be suspended by the NFL.


In the meantime, Watson's responses on this topic haven't exactly quieted the controversy after recently being traded to the Cleveland Browns, a team that gave him a contract with the most guaranteed money in NFL history — $230 million over five years. He was asked about it at his introductory news conference with the team March 25 and said 40 women "is not in one period of time."

“I think that's a question at the heart of the case,” said Kenneth Williams, professor at South Texas College of Law Houston. “The jury is going to want to know why a star NFL quarterback would need to seek out so many massage therapists and especially on social media. … The vast number and the lengths he went for these massages … is certainly suspicious and suggests that he was looking for more than just a massage.”



At least 40 women in recent years gave him massages, including the 22 who have sued him and accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions from early 2020 to March 2021. According to court records obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Watson has refused to answer written questions about whether he had sex with 18 other therapists who came forward last year to say he never made them feel uncomfortable. One of those 18 women testified in a pretrial deposition that she had reason to suspect Watson was having sex with additional women he hired for massages.

In another twist, his marketing manager testified in a pretrial deposition in February that the Houston Texans, Watson’s former team, had given Watson a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) form for him to have strangers sign even when he went to dinner with them.


The purpose of this was for him to be more “careful” about his interactions with strangers, according to the testimony. This was several weeks before these cases became public in March 2021, setting off a year in which he didn't play football amid the unresolved controversy.

As Watson prepares to resume his NFL career with a new team, here’s a look at the reasons given for having so many therapists and why the question still looms. The 40 women include several who were not licensed massage therapists and one who said Watson arranged to fly her from Atlanta to Houston for a massage two weeks after contacting her for the first time on Instagram.


“It only takes one case to justify discipline” against him in the NFL, said the NFL’s former counsel for operations and litigation, Jodi Balsam, now a professor at Brooklyn Law School.

Watson's explanation

Watson had a ready answer when asked about the 22 lawsuits at the Browns’ news conference. He gave variations of the same response four different times.

“I never assaulted, I never disrespected and I never harassed any woman in my life,” he said.

By contrast, in a recent video recording obtained by Fox 8 television in Cleveland, Watson was shown answering another question with less clarity during a pretrial deposition. Buzbee asked Watson about driving a half hour out of town to meet a woman at her mother’s house for a massage and bringing his own towel.

“You don’t think that’s a little bit weird?” Buzbee asked.

“It is what it is,” Watson said.

The description of this encounter matches that of a lawsuit filed by a woman who said he contacted her on Instagram, arrived at the house with an NDA for her to sign and later aggressively moved his penis toward her hand and ejaculated on her during the massage.

Buzbee said text messages show Watson insisted on bringing his own towel to these massages. He said he told Watson in a deposition, "You brought your towel because you wanted to bring back your own towel."

Other lawsuits describe similar encounters involving improper touching and Watson exposing himself. Hardin said the women are lying and out for money but that there were "sometimes consensual encounters."

In the news conference, a reporter asked Watson why he didn’t just stick with one massage person because 40 “just seems like so many.”

“I never as far as the team – when I say team, I am not saying the Cleveland Browns but my agency and things like that – 40 is just over the time," he said. "It is not in one period of time. I have been in Houston five years, so you go to different people. Like I said before, I can’t get too far into the details, but as businesses work and you move and meet different people and people have different schedules and blocks, you kind of meet people over time.”

He said he couldn’t get into detail because there is an “ongoing investigation,” presumably meaning the lawsuits.

“But I can say that with this now day and age, especially with my age group, social media is a big business part that goes into it,” he said.

His attorneys’ explanation

In court records, Watson estimated he had 75 massages in 2019, before the pandemic in 2020. The massages at issue in the lawsuits came in 2020 and 2021. Hardin tried to explain the number last year.

“Somebody might say, 'Oh my god, look at all those lawsuits. Does that mean he saw that many people?’ ” Hardin said in April 2021. “Folks, this guy has been getting two to three massages a week. The math I do on that is anywhere from 120 to 140 to 150 massages a year. … In the year 2020, all of a sudden, spas shut down.”

Hardin also stressed on Sunday to USA TODAY Sports that Instagram is where massage therapists advertise their businesses.

"When you talk to any of these athletes or any people in their 20s, they’re doing everything by Instagram," Hardin said.



Another one of Watson’s attorneys, Letitia Quinones, explained last year why Watson got so many massages.

“Everything that he described about the areas that he needed massaged was extremely important for him to be the escape artist that he is when he’s in the pocket,” she said.

But Buzbee said Watson's recent answers in pretrial discovery show something else. He couldn't say any place was shut down because of COVID. Buzbee also said Watson reached out to new women he didn't know for massages instead of just sticking with those who previously gave him massages.


“Let’s assume you met a stranger on the internet who gave you a massage – then why not go back to her?” Buzbee said. "“If she gave you a decent massage, why did you reach out to somebody new?”

Buzbee said he forced Watson to admit that it "wasn’t his priority to see if they had any training" with massages.

Watson, 26, also testified in the recent deposition that he didn’t tell his employer or trainer he was meeting these strangers for massages.

Hardin said none of these issues has anything to do with whether Watson did anything wrong.

"Tell me how if a guy goes to somebody and picks them out on Instagram, that means he has some ill intent in mind," Hardin said. He asked what was "wrong" about going to 40 women for massages.



"If a guy goes and gets a massage and hopes maybe that somehow something else will happen, that’s not a crime," Hardin said, speaking in general and not about Watson specifically. "It’s not only not a crime, it’s not a civil liability issue."

An attorney who’s been following the case but is not involved called Watson's attorneys' explanations “somewhat plausible" if he was being denied services at his favored spas because they were closed.

On the other hand, “from the victim’s point of view, they’re going to make the obvious argument that he was seeking out different women because he wanted to take advantage of them and he figured that if you go through social media you might get away with more things,” said the attorney, David Ring, who has represented sex assault victims in Los Angeles.

The other 18 women

After the lawsuits started piling up against him in March 2021, Hardin issued a release to the news media that tried to take some heat off his client. It said that since the controversy started, his firm had received dozens of unsolicited phone calls, letters, e-mails and text messages from professional massage therapists who have worked with Watson.

He listed 18 women who made statements in support of Watson’s conduct during their interactions with him.

But now these women who came to his defense are the subject of a dispute in court. Buzbee's firm has tried to get Watson to answer written questions about whether he had sex with these 18 women.

Watson has refused to answer, saying the question is harassing, “seeks private information” and is not relevant.

This has led Buzbee's firm to ask the court to compel him to answer these requests for information. A decision by a judge could come soon.

“The discovery requests seek information of these 18 massage therapist(s), as well as other women known to have massaged Defendant Watson and with whom he had sexual relations,” said a court document filed March 16 by Maria Holmes, an attorney at Buzbee’s firm.

The filing stated one of these 18 women suspected Watson was having sexual relations with other women he hired for massages.

“If Mr. Watson was having sex with other massage therapists and other women then he likely expected to do so with Plaintiffs,” the filing states. “This shows a pattern of conduct that is absolutely relevant and could lead to discovering other untoward behavior.”

Ring, the attorney in Los Angeles, doubts Buzbee will succeed in getting this information because the judge might not want the 22 cases in court to delve into the private histories of a whole other set of women who aren’t alleging misconduct.

The NDAs

Non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs, are not uncommon for celebrities to use in business or romantic relationships.

Ring said he once had a case against a “very high-profile” celebrity and found out this celebrity would “hand out NDAs like M&M candies.”

“The pizza guy would come inside his house to deliver a pizza and he’d make the guy sign an NDA,” Ring said.

In Watson’s case, if he’s walking around with NDAs to have people sign at massages and dinners, “that’s not necessarily normal activity,” Ring said. He called it an “eyebrow raiser.”

Buzbee has said Watson asked a number of women to sign them before or after they gave him massages.

Was it because he had something to hide? Or because he and the Texans wanted to closely guard his reputation during private interactions with strangers?

But if he was that concerned about risky encounters, why did he even meet with them in the first place?

In a deposition in February 2022, Watson’s marketing manager, Bryan Burney, was asked why Watson had an NDA form from the Texans in January 2021, several weeks before the massage controversy became public.

“It sounded like just to be more careful,” Burney testified, according to a partial transcript filed with court records. “He said anywhere from, you know, people at dinners that he doesn't know. It was pretty vague.”

“You're telling me he would use this NDA at dinners?” Buzbee asked Burney.

“I've never witnessed it, but that was one of the examples I was given when I asked what was the purpose of it,” Burney replied.

“What was the other examples you were given?” Buzbee asked.

“I don't recall specifically, but I know dinners were mentioned, you know, anybody that's giving treatment or people that we're working with that are new,” Burney stated.

“Massages?” Buzbee asked

“I don't recall that being specified,” Burney replied. “Again, I didn't really – I didn't ask a ton of questions about it.”

The Texans didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The transcript of the Burney deposition was attached to court records from Buzbee's firm that are asking the court to compel Watson to document all the massages he received in 2019-2020. Watson's legal team objected, calling it a fishing expedition.

Court records also show the attorneys for each side recently agreed not to schedule any trials in these matters from Aug. 1 to March 1, 2023, which helps keep Watson free of a big distraction during football season.

Yet it also potentially keeps these questions alive another year unless the lawsuits are settled before then. It's even possible at least one case could go to trial in July.

In the meantime, Watson might change his strategy. At his news conference with the Browns, Watson was asked if he was reevaluating his methods for finding massage therapists.

“Definitely,” Watson said. “It is something that with my team and now with the Cleveland Browns the organization, we find a plan and move forward from there.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. E-mail: bschroten@usato
 
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Reply to above post:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The other 18 women

After the lawsuits started piling up against him in March 2021, Hardin issued a release to the news media that tried to take some heat off his client. It said that since the controversy started, his firm had received dozens of unsolicited phone calls, letters, e-mails and text messages from professional massage therapists who have worked with Watson.

He listed 18 women who made statements in support of Watson’s conduct during their interactions with him.

But now these women who came to his defense are the subject of a dispute in court. Buzbee's firm has tried to get Watson to answer written questions about whether he had sex with these 18 women.

Watson has refused to answer, saying the question is harassing, “seeks private information” and is not relevant.

This has led Buzbee's firm to ask the court to compel him to answer these requests for information. A decision by a judge could come soon.

“The discovery requests seek information of these 18 massage therapist(s), as well as other women known to have massaged Defendant Watson and with whom he had sexual relations,” said a court document filed March 16 by Maria Holmes, an attorney at Buzbee’s firm.

The filing stated one of these 18 women suspected Watson was having sexual relations with other women he hired for massages.

“If Mr. Watson was having sex with other massage therapists and other women then he likely expected to do so with Plaintiffs,” the filing states. “This shows a pattern of conduct that is absolutely relevant and could lead to discovering other untoward behavior.”

Ring, the attorney in Los Angeles, doubts Buzbee will succeed in getting this information because the judge might not want the 22 cases in court to delve into the private histories of a whole other set of women who aren’t alleging misconduct.

*******************************************************************************

Buzbee filed for revealing the names and associated information of the 18 therapists that came to Watson's defense. After Hardin objected, the court responded back in Feb saying that Hardin/Watson must turn things over.
 
djohn2oo8 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1511491043455348740
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Re: Team Watson objected to the revelation of any information regarding the 18 supportive massage therapists Watson having to answer question concern his relationship to them. From the hearing:

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Harris County District Court Judge Rabeea Sultan Collier decided in favor of the plaintiffs, overruling the objection by Watson’s attorney, Leah Graham.

The judge didn’t explain her reasoning despite a request to do so by Graham.

“Your Honor, this is information that we feel strongly is not discoverable,” Graham said during the hearing in Houston, which also was shown online. “For clarity of the record… help us understand the basis of the reasoning for why (these answers) would be relevant and discoverable.”

“The objection is overruled,” the judge said in response. “Thank you.”

**************************************
 
djohn2oo8 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1511491043455348740
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UPDATE TO ARTICLE

The plaintiffs’ attorneys also succeeded in their quest to compel Watson to produce certain other information about his history of massages since 2019, as well as any language about massages in his contract with the Houston Texans, Watson's previous team. The judge gave Watson’s team 30 days to comply.

"We will continue to force Mr. Watson to answer our questions and reveal the full parameters of his conduct," plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee said in an e-mail afterward.



Graham, Watson's attorney, didn't return a message seeking comment after the hearing.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys did not succeed in their quest to compel Watson to answer questions about any sexual relations he had with specific additional women who have not come forward publicly in this case. That is where the judge drew the line in her decision on this matter: Have they come forward publicly or not?



In the case of the 18 therapists at issue, they did come out to support Watson publicly one year ago in statements released by his attorney, Rusty Hardin. They said Watson, 26, never made them feel uncomfortable during their interactions with him, unlike the other 22 women who are suing him. Hardin’s strategy with releasing such information at the time apparently was to take some heat off his client. A year later, Watson must answer more about his histories with those 18 women, if there were any, according to the judge’s ruling.



Graham called it a “fishing expedition” by the plaintiffs and not relevant to the specific allegations in individual lawsuits.

Plaintiffs attorney Cornelia Brandfield-Harvey disagreed, telling the judge Watson “went to massage therapy sessions intending to have sex, intending to do something else, not have a massage.”

“That is at the heart of this case,” she said.

She added “we’re not asking whether he had sex with anybody in the world” but instead with specific therapists, including the 18 who had “voluntarily publicly identified themselves.”



After 10 women filed police complaints against him, two grand juries in Texas declined to indict Watson on criminal charges in those cases. But the 22 civil lawsuits are proceeding and might not go to trial until next year.

Watson recently said he never assaulted, harassed or disrespected any women after agreeing to a record-setting contract with the Browns that will pay him $230 million guaranteed over five years. Hardin, his attorney, last year said a big reason Watson saw so many different women for massages was because “spas shut down” in 2020 amid the pandemic.



Buzbee told USA TODAY Sports last week that this explanation recently didn’t hold up in his pretrial questioning of Watson.

“He couldn’t say any place was shut down because of COVID,” Buzbee said. “He didn’t reach out to any place that shut down. He didn’t even ask.”

Hardin said the women suing his client are lying and out for money but that there were "sometimes consensual encounters."
 
One thing that I have not seen brought up yet.......something that I believe would be another reason Buzbee is seeking information about the 18 massage therapists in support of Watson>>>>>>were any of them NOT licensed massage therapist? If not, in 2019, it would destroy his argument that he needed to go outside the "norm" because of COVID.......seeking Instagram masseuses.
 
maverick512000 said:
Hardin doesn't care, he did his job of keeping Watson out of prison. Anything else will just cost Watson money and thats not Hardin's problem.
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Everyone is taking for granted that the criminal is a dead issue. I wouldn't be so sure.

maverick512000 said:
In fact the longer this goes the more Hardin makes so its to his benefit for it to keep going.
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CloakNNNdagger said:
Harding wants a trial as much as Buzbee..................ca ching! ca ching! ca ching!...............Hardin's defense fees alone run = or >$1500/hour, plus hours by other Hardin attorneys and paralegals.............research, depositions, filings, trials, payoffs............
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Attorneys general from six states warn NFL that it could be investigated for workplace harassment
April 6, 2022, 12:08 PM EDT


When it comes to the practical consequences of NFL controversies, the league always has an eye on the legislative branch of the government. The NFL should keep the other eye on the judicial branch.

Prosecutors have broad powers and extreme discretion. Many of the issues that attract the attention of Congress also could attract the attention of the Department of Justice. Currently, the league has gotten the attention of the chief law enforcement officers in multiple states.

According to the New York Times, six attorneys general have informed the league that they have “grave concerns” regarding allegations of workplace harassment of women and minorities. They have warned the NFL that, if the league doesn’t take steps to address the problem, a broad investigation could occur.

The issue was outlined for Commissioner Roger Goodell in a letter sent Tuesday. New York attorney general Letitia James is one of the six who signed the letter. (The other five weren’t named in the article.)
The NFL has been dealing with multiple workplace-related controversies in recent months, from the Commanders situation to the Jon Gruden emails to the Brian Flores litigation to the Cowboys cheerleaders voyeurism scandal and more. The Browns recently became a magnet for criticism after trading for quarterback Deshaun Watson and giving him a five-year, fully-guaranteed, $230 million contract, despite the fact that he is the defendant in 22 pending civil cases alleging sexual misconduct during massage sessions.

The letter specifies concerns on which the Times reported in February, including allegations that female staff members had to watch the Ray Rice elevator video, that they had to publicly declare if they have been victims of domestic violence, and that they have been marginalized or nudged aside if they questioned the league’s handling of sexual harassment issues.

This represents a new area of concern for the league, beyond the involvement of Congress or the potential filing of lawsuits, which the league routinely tries to force to private arbitration. If these attorneys general go forward, the NFL’s conduct will be scrutinized and publicized — and potentially prosecuted.

If that threat/promise doesn’t spark something more than lip service from 345 Park Avenue, nothing will.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Everyone is taking for granted that the criminal is a dead issue. I wouldn't be so sure.
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Well it couldn't be any of the 10 because then it would be double jeopardy. I'm also not sure another DA will pick it up after two GJ no billed it. Unless this somehow goes federal in which case all bets are off.
 
maverick512000 said:
Well it couldn't be any of the 10 because then it would be double jeopardy. I'm also not sure another DA will pick it up after two GJ no billed it. Unless this somehow goes federal in which case all bets are off.
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It wouldn't be double jeopardy.

There are also other ways the criminal could go. Depositions/Trials could reveal some strong evidence that would allow refiling of criminal charges..........or new charges by the same complainants........or new complainants.

And new criminal complaints could be filed by out of state complainants.

And, of course, if the feds get involved, you are correct.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
It wouldn't be double jeopardy.

There are also other ways the criminal could go. Depositions/Trials could reveal some strong evidence that would allow refiling of criminal charges..........or new charges by the same complainants........or new complainants.
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Exactly. It’s not double jeopardy because he wasn’t found not guilty and no charges were brought. It was a non indictment which a DA has the ability to refile with a grand jury to secure an indictment.

Also, that’s correct the federal aspect may still be in play as well as charges filed in other states.
 
I'd bet money that Godell has met with league attorneys and said find a way to impose the largest suspension possible under the CBA and league rules.
 
michaelm said:
I'd bet money that Godell has met with league attorneys and said find a way to impose the largest suspension possible under the CBA and league rules.
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maverick512000 said:
You would lose that money since it’s not Goodell’s call any more. As of the last CBA it goes to a neutral party.
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CloakNNNdagger said:
By the CBA, the the chosen arbitrator will determine if the Personal Conduct Policy was violated. But if she determines it has been, it will still essentially be up to Goodell to ultimately assign the punishment.
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If the arbitrator finds that there was no violation of the Personal Conduct Policy, the decision is final and there is no option to appeal by the NFL. But...........

Per the CBA:
  • If the independent arbitrator determines a personal conduct violation occurred, the arbitrator can ultimately determine the punishment for the infraction. If the NFL disagrees with the punishment, the league can appeal it to Goodell, who ultimately has a significant measure of power over the process once it’s agreed that a violation took place.
    Click to expand...
 
michaelm said:
The way I understand it, the independent arbiter is responsible for deciding if the player violated rules or policy, but isn't the final word on punishment.
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Final word technically no but if they decide on a punishment and Goodell unilaterally decides to add more then that might kick off an players union complaint. This is assuming the arbiter decides a violation did occur which logic says they would but stranger things have happened.
 
This was posted after the new C.B.A, two years ago.. breaks everything down.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

New CBA doesn't diminish Commissioner's ultimate power over Personal Conduct Policy cases

The Commissioner's power under the new CBA is shrinking.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Looks like all the new C.B.A. did was give Goodell and the NFL another layer of insulation..

heymak said:
How about Goodell waiting to do any action until Watsons second season with the Browns so as to maximize the penalty.
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Why not this year and next 😁 I can't wait to see how hard the Browns and "the Watson experience" fail over the next 3 years.. especially since we basically own all their draft capital during that time.

I mean honestly the Browns need to be punished for the way that contract was written (purposely to avoid monetary punishment). I bet that loophole gets closed during the next C.B.A.

Call it the Watson rule.
 
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maverick512000 said:
Final word technically no but if they decide on a punishment and Goodell unilaterally decides to add more then that might kick off an players union complaint. This is assuming the arbiter decides a violation did occur which logic says they would but stranger things have happened.
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That might seem logical, but there is no appeal built into the process once Goodell has made the final decision on the NFL's appeal. Thus in the new CBA, the NFLPA has negotiated a major point, where final determination of whether a Policy violation has occurred was entirely taken away from the Commissioner and placed in the hands of the arbitrator............in return for the NFL, once the violation has been confirmed, being able to appeal the length of punishment set by the arbitrator and taking it to the Commissioner for final decision. This algorithm was agreed upon by both the NFL and the NFLPA.
 
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CloakNNNdagger said:
That might seem logical, but there is no appeal built into the process once Goodell has made the final decision on the NFL's appeal. Thus in the new CBA, the NFLPA has negotiated a major point, where final determination of whether a Policy violation has occurred was entirely taken away from the Commissioner and placed in the hands of arbitrator............in return for the NFL, once the violation has been confirmed, being able to appeal the length of punishment set by the arbitrator and taking it to the Commissioner for final decision. This algorithm was agreed upon by both the NFL and the NFLPA.
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It will prove very interesting as if he is found in violation what steps the NFL will feel it has to take. They suspended Calvin Ridley an entire season just for betting 1500 on his own team. If they go lite on Watson then more than a few eyebrows will be raised that betting 1500 bucks is viewed as a worse sin than being accused of sexual assualt by almost 2 dozen women. Add to that the other teams are pissed at the Browns for complicating every QB contract going forward and they MAY lower the hammer on both. At the same time I'm reminded of something my father said when I asked him as a young kid why people get away with doing bad things. He said "The Devil takes care of his own."
 
I'm sure glad that Watson is outta here so we can concentrate on Texans football and not worry about all the issues we had when he was on the team, but as a disinterested bystander for a form of amusement IMO it still seems to me that the Watson side has a very strong PR position by having two different GJs decide not to go to trial, and lets face it you know that's all that Goodell and the league ultimately really care about - PR for selling tickets & merchandise, & Cable/TV deals.
Not saying that's right, just saying like always it comes down to the greenbacks and that's how the world works.
 
Carr Bombed said:
...

Why not this year and next 😁 I can't wait to see how hard the Browns and "the Watson experience" fails over the next 3 years.. especially since we basically own all their draft capital during that time.

I mean honestly the Browns need to be punished for the way that contract was written (purposely to avoid monetary punishment). I bet that loophole gets closed during the next C.B.A.

Call it the Watson rule.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking it might take the season to try or settle the existing cases. Just saw CND response, guess I'll have to wait and see if Goodell can cover the loopholes.
 
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