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Sexual Assault Suits Against Watson

CloakNNNdagger said:
Funny how so many can accept the fact that money may be the sole incentive behind the complainants, but not for Friel, or the NFL.
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To be clear. I didn't accept anything and fully understand who is Friel's employer. I'm simply stating her experience with victims of sexual violence gives her a perspective that she should be able to conduct an interview without demeaning, belittling, agitating or disrespecting the complainants.

I also find it funny that the same people who realize this is all about protecting the NFL brand can so easily accept that someone with her experience would go into an emotionally charged interview and stir up a hornet's nest by making the complainants feel disrespected. Exactly how does that benefit anyone?
 
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Earl34 said:
To be clear. I didn't accept anything and fully understand who is Friel's employer. I'm simply stating her experience with victims of sexual violence gives her a perspective that she should be able to conduct an interview without demeaning, belittling agitating or disrespecting the complainants.

I also find it funny that the same people who realize this is all about protecting the NFL brand can so easily accept that someone with her experience would go into an emotionally charged interview and stir up a hornet's nest by making the complainants feel disrespected. Exactly how does that benefit anyone?
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When attorneys pursue questions, they all know how to phrase those questions to not look like the "bad guys." But they will always find ways to "innocently" use phrases to push intended buttons. This is extremely easy when dealing with the traumatized, who are many times fragile to begin with. The result?...........the seasoned attorney is not perceived in a bad light............while, by their response, the interrogatively-naive person being questioned is made to appear horrible..............lying, disagreeable, unsympathetic, untrustworthy...........take your pick. A feeling of disrespect under these circumstances is not unexpected.
 
Number19 said:
Earl34 expressed my point quite well.
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Again don’t know what your point is, a person changes jobs they can change their stance on things. For example the best accountants for avoiding the IRS are former IRS agents.

If your point was that a woman would have more sympathy I would like to remind you that the person that was Jeffrey Epstein’s right hand and acquired most of his victims was a woman.
 
maverick512000 said:
Again don’t know what your point is, a person changes jobs they can change their stance on things. For example the best accountants for avoiding the IRS are former IRS agents.

If your point was that a woman would have more sympathy I would like to remind you that the person that was Jeffrey Epstein’s right hand and acquired most of his victims was a woman.
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Wait..so Epstein's procurer cancels out women having sympathy or empathy?
 
Personally I just think this issue is too hot and the NFL too popular in this PC world for them to get this wrong by trying to sweep it under the rug. CnD is right, it is about money, but I believe it’s the money in advertisements and not in the star value of their superstars. Advertisers don’t want their product names attached to social deviant behavior.
 
Maybe DW4 is a sexual deviant, maybe even a sexual predator, maybe even worse as some in these parts are saying but if this really gets down and dirty then these young women who say they have been disrespected had better put their big-girl britches on because if it goes to trial it could get much worse for everybody.
They say it's a matter of personal rep, well it's also a matter of DW4s personal rep, his money, and his professional life in the NFL, and maybe even his personal freedom on this planet.
Lets hope they reach a resolution soon for this situation, the young women get paid, and DW4 can go back to playing ball in he NFL, and the Texans are able to land a boat-load of high Draft picks when they bid farewell to DW4 on his way out of H-town.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
You might want to ask yourself........How does the NFL benefit or be hurt the most?
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The NFL benefits the most by having this shiite storm go away. It may be by Watson giving an apology, taking a suspension, and getting some consoling. Or maybe it's saying bye-bye to "the player". They've done both in the past. I don't get pre-judging the NFL on actions they've yet to take.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Funny how so many can accept the fact that money may be the sole incentive behind the complainants, but not for Friel, or the NFL.
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Watson is an employee of the NFL, so this is like the FBI conducting an investigation into FBI corruption.

They need an independent investigator, not someone on their payroll, regardless of her experience.

Lucky said:
The NFL benefits the most by having this shiite storm go away. It may be by Watson giving an apology, taking a suspension, and getting some consoling. Or maybe it's saying bye-bye to "the player". They've done both in the past. I don't get pre-judging the NFL on actions they've yet to take.
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The NFL receives no benefit of the doubt because of its history. They have rightfully earned public skepticism

The ONLY reason they even bother with this stuff is due to public pressure on the corporations that keep the NFL coffers full.

Otherwise, they probably wouldn't even have a professional conduct policy. They certainly didn't in previous decades. If anything, the league was run and surrounded by sycophants.
 
Double Barrel said:
The NFL receives no benefit of the doubt because of its history. They have rightfully earned public skepticism

The ONLY reason they even bother with this stuff is due to public pressure on the corporations that keep the NFL coffers full.

Otherwise, they probably wouldn't even have a professional conduct policy. They certainly didn't in previous decades. If anything, the league was run and surrounded by sycophants.
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OK, but how is the NFL any different than any other business in this regard. They make more $$$ than most. They're more sensitive to public pressure, via sponsors, than most. If we're pointing a finger at who is lacking morals, three fingers are pointing back at us. When society begins to really give a crap, so will businesses like the NFL.
 
Double Barrel said:
Watson is an employee of the NFL, so this is like the FBI conducting an investigation into FBI corruption.

They need an independent investigator, not someone on their payroll, regardless of her experience.



The NFL receives no benefit of the doubt because of its history. They have rightfully earned public skepticism

The ONLY reason they even bother with this stuff is due to public pressure on the corporations that keep the NFL coffers full.

Otherwise, they probably wouldn't even have a professional conduct policy. They certainly didn't in previous decades. If anything, the league was run and surrounded by sycophants.
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This is the point I've been trying to emphasize.
 
Lucky said:
OK, but how is the NFL any different than any other business in this regard. They make more $$$ than most. They're more sensitive to public pressure, via sponsors, than most. If we're pointing a finger at who is lacking morals, three fingers are pointing back at us. When society begins to really give a crap, so will businesses like the NFL.
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NFL is different because every franchise requires huge public investment in stadiums and related infrastructure.

They make so much money because they can rely on public funds to finance their playgrounds and then extort cities with relocation threats.

This allows a franchise to guarantee $111 million to a player to "represent our city".

I don't really need the NFL to be morality police, but since they want to be in that game, then they need to be neutral and transparent with the public.
 
Double Barrel said:
NFL is different because every franchise requires huge public investment in stadiums and related infrastructure.

They make so much money because they can rely on public funds to finance their playgrounds and then extort cities with relocation threats.

This allows a franchise to guarantee $111 million to a player to "represent our city".

I don't really need the NFL to be morality police, but since they want to be in that game, then they need to be neutral and transparent with the public.
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I get that. But again, what does any of that have to do with how the NFL has handled this situation, thus far? No one has come out to support, defend, or ridicule Watson. They are waiting until the process merits a response. Which is refreshing in this world of instant judgement.
 
djohn2oo8 said:
Everyone please read that new article
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The only thing that I got out of the article was confirmation that every aspect of the case too complex, too murky, too many moving parts, too many contradictory relationships, too much private interaction, too much public legal maneuvering for me personally to do anything but :popcorn:
 
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News Item

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Deshaun Watson's deposition won't happen before Super Bowl LVI

Deshaun Watson recently posted a video of his preparations for the 2021 football season.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Potential key dates

The “agreed docket control order” in the cases, which was signed by the presiding judge on May 1, provides that Watson’s sworn deposition won’t be taken before February 22, 2022. That’s nine days after the next Super Bowl is played.

Deposition of the plaintiffs may be taken as of September 13, 2021. With 22 plaintiffs to be questioned, more than a month of business days will be needed to finish all of them. Other fact witnesses likely will be questioned, including (but perhaps not limited to) reins and family members to whom the plaintiffs may have made comments relevant to the situation.

No specific trial date has been set. The pre-trial discovery process ends on March 25.

A pre-trial status conference, during which the trial date likely will be set, is scheduled for May 2, 2022.
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
News Item

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Deshaun Watson's deposition won't happen before Super Bowl LVI

Deshaun Watson recently posted a video of his preparations for the 2021 football season.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Potential key dates

The “agreed docket control order” in the cases, which was signed by the presiding judge on May 1, provides that Watson’s sworn deposition won’t be taken before February 22, 2022. That’s nine days after the next Super Bowl is played.

Deposition of the plaintiffs may be taken as of September 13, 2021. With 22 plaintiffs to be questioned, more than a month of business days will be needed to finish all of them. Other fact witnesses likely will be questioned, including (but perhaps not limited to) reins and family members to whom the plaintiffs may have made comments relevant to the situation.

No specific trial date has been set. The pre-trial discovery process ends on March 25.

A pre-trial status conference, during which the trial date likely will be set, is scheduled for May 2, 2022.
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Is this saying what I think it's saying - that this is going to drag on well past the 2022 draft? So what are the chances of any trade before there is a conclusion? None? So we won't see draft picks until 2023? Another set back for our rebuild?
 
maverick512000 said:
Again don’t know what your point is, a person changes jobs they can change their stance on things. For example the best accountants for avoiding the IRS are former IRS agents.

If your point was that a woman would have more sympathy I would like to remind you that the person that was Jeffrey Epstein’s right hand and acquired most of his victims was a woman.
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For those that don't know, Hardin worked as an assistant DA in Harris County for 15 years.
 
Number19 said:
Is this saying what I think it's saying - that this is going to drag on well past the 2022 draft? So what are the chances of any trade before there is a conclusion? None? So we won't see draft picks until 2023? Another set back for our rebuild?
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Unless there is settlement with all 22 and the criminal investigation does not lead to charges, looking like two years before this goes to any type of criminal trial
 
Thorn said:
Jesus Christ as if there wasn't enough all ready to be pissed about with the Texans, now we gotta be pissed about this for another year before we know anything.
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Or they could just cut him. It would be costly but if they are concerned about their image, might be the right thing to do.
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
News Item

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Deshaun Watson's deposition won't happen before Super Bowl LVI

Deshaun Watson recently posted a video of his preparations for the 2021 football season.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Potential key dates

The “agreed docket control order” in the cases, which was signed by the presiding judge on May 1, provides that Watson’s sworn deposition won’t be taken before February 22, 2022. That’s nine days after the next Super Bowl is played.

Deposition of the plaintiffs may be taken as of September 13, 2021. With 22 plaintiffs to be questioned, more than a month of business days will be needed to finish all of them. Other fact witnesses likely will be questioned, including (but perhaps not limited to) reins and family members to whom the plaintiffs may have made comments relevant to the situation.

No specific trial date has been set. The pre-trial discovery process ends on March 25.

A pre-trial status conference, during which the trial date likely will be set, is scheduled for May 2, 2022.
Click to expand...


That's an absolutely asinine AGREED docket order. I'm not sure why Hardin would go that route unless he's looking for more time to arrange settlements?

Dw's career will only last so long and potentially missing more then 1 season seems a HUGE misstep. I don't believe the nfl will hand out punishment until all cases are resolved so letting it drag on that long just doesn't make sense. He's not going to play while this is pending and he's probably not going to play for 8-17 games after the outcome.

And he's not going to be traded in that time frame either.

I am ofcourse interpreting this agreement as civil. I would expect criminal Procedures (a grand jury review and or indictment) to move far faster assuming there are no new complainants.

What a monumental clusterf*ck. Houston, we waited a long time to finally get an above average qb. Just our luck he's got some baggage.
 
djohn2oo8 said:
Everyone please read that new article
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They didn’t know what to do.

So a licensed massage therapist who worked with Ashley Solis reached out to an industry veteran, asking for help. “I have a colleague that was solicited during a session by a professional athlete at her in-home studio,” she wrote over Facebook Messenger.

Something had happened during Solis’s appointment with Deshaun Watson, an unlikely client for her nascent massage therapy business on March 30, 2020. That message, not previously public, was sent the next day, according to the veteran therapist. That was before any lawsuits, high-profile lawyers or p.r. spin, proof that Solis was upset enough to seek help in the immediate aftermath of the appointment. It is one of many new pieces of information Sports Illustrated uncovered over the course of two months reporting on and around the lawsuits against Watson. Along with reviewing exchanges—like the one above—that were previously unreported or shared only in part, SI vetted information that has been dispensed both by the lawyers for Watson and for the 22 plaintiffs, which has sometimes been incomplete, out-of-context or otherwise imprecise.

SI also interviewed five women—not among either the 22 plaintiffs or the list of 18 therapists who supported Watson in testimonials provided to his defense attorney’s firm—who worked with or were contacted by Watson, including one who both worked on Watson and referred him to other licensed massage therapists, or LMTs.

One thing is clear: Warnings about Watson had been percolating in the Houston massage therapy community for some time. Some were mundane—he was a last-minute booker, do not expect a tip. Others were far more troubling. Two LMTs told SI they were warned last year by others in their profession about Watson’s inappropriate conduct, including his making sexually explicit motions on the table or insisting on using a small towel that would inadequately cover his genital area, rather than the standard massage draping. And that same industry veteran Solis’s colleague contacted says she talked to Watson about his conduct after an appointment she set up in 2019—the one detailed to SI in March by a woman we called Mary, who has not filed a lawsuit. After that appointment, the veteran therapist told Mary in a text message that “only 1 therapist hasn’t complained” about Watson.

SI also spoke to numerous other Houston-area LMTs, multiple NFL players about massage therapy to get a better understanding of an LMT’s role in professional football and a therapist who says she had problematic interactions with other professional athletes, shedding light on the hazards women can face in an occupation too often conflated with sex work. (Solis and the other 21 plaintiffs were not made available for interviews.)

[…]

One person with close ties to the Texans says a member of the team’s medical staff, worried about increased risk of injury to the franchise quarterback, was concerned last year when they were told Watson was seeking out therapists on Instagram.

[…]

One of the LMTs SI spoke to was surprised when Watson DM’ed her in the spring of 2020, because she does not specialize in sports massage and works in a suburb about an hour outside of Houston. When she told him she was not able to work at the time because of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions, he asked, “Is it cause you’re scared you’ll loose[sic] your license.” She told him yes, and he replied, “You’ll be good with me. But okay.” (Both messages were sent around 11 p.m.) She never worked on him, but the date of an incident described in one of the lawsuits jumped out to her: It was the day after Watson had messaged her. (SI reviewed screenshots of this exchange, which appear to be sent from Watson’s verified Instagram account; Hardin, saying he would not address reporting from anonymous sources, did not provide a response to questions regarding this exchange or other anonymous accounts. SI has granted this LMT’s request for anonymity to protect her privacy and her business.)

“I was extremely relieved,” she says. “Because I will tell you, I really did almost message him and be like, O.K., because [landing him as a client] could mean so much money for my business. But in my gut, it felt off.”

Seventeen of the 22 plaintiffs say in their lawsuits that Watson made first contact with them through social media, where they market their businesses. (The majority of plaintiffs also say they had never before worked on any Texans players.) The five other plaintiffs say either their boss set up their appointment with Watson or they were referred to him through a mutual friend.

The veteran therapist who Solis’s colleague reached out to for advice has referred Watson to multiple other therapists—including Mary, who previously shared her account of Watson’s misconduct with SI, and one of the other plaintiffs. This veteran therapist agreed to an interview with SI, but only under the condition of anonymity since her name has not yet been shared publicly; we granted her request because of the importance of hearing an account from—at this point—the only therapist to publicly acknowledge having referred Watson to others. However, parts of her story shifted over a series of interviews. SI will refer to her by the pseudonym Susan.

Susan has been a licensed massage therapist for more than a decade, with a clientele she says is about 90% athletes. She’s worked on Watson “many times over several years” and says she’s “only had professional experiences.” Susan has eight other therapists she sends clients to when her schedule is full, which she has done regularly with Watson. These therapists, including Mary, had contracts with Susan, who says she charges the client for the session, subtracts her referral fee and pays the other therapist about 70%.

Mary told SI that during her appointment with Watson in the fall of 2019, he purposely removed the towel covering him, told her she could touch and move his exposed penis (she ignored his suggestion), and began thrusting his pelvis into the air after developing an erection; she also noticed what she believed to be pre-ejaculate on Watson’s stomach. Susan confirms that Mary reported concerns about Watson’s conduct to her directly following their appointment, specifically the thrusting and that he wanted to be uncovered. She says she apologized to Mary and was “almost embarrassed” that happened with one of her clients. Susan says she then talked to Watson about his conduct with Mary, but declines to share details of that conversation, calling it “confidential.”

“I've had one person report something to me” about Watson, Susan told SI, confirming that this person was Mary. “And I had a conversation with [Watson]. I was confident that wasn't going to happen again after our conversation.”
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djohn2oo8 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1395782745029234689
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.
She says she apologized to Mary and was “almost embarrassed” that happened with one of her clients. Susan says she then talked to Watson about his conduct with Mary, but declines to share details of that conversation, calling it “confidential.”

“I've had one person report something to me” about Watson, Susan told SI, confirming that this person was Mary. “And I had a conversation with [Watson]. I was confident that wasn't going to happen again after our conversation.”
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If SI got this, I'm sure Buzbee does. & while it might not put him in jail, 22 of 22 civil suits will find him at fault. Then there will be at least 5 more suits against him.
 
Lucky said:
The NFL benefits the most by having this shiite storm go away. It may be by Watson giving an apology, taking a suspension, and getting some consoling. Or maybe it's saying bye-bye to "the player". They've done both in the past. I don't get pre-judging the NFL on actions they've yet to take.
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It just seems to me that Nike and NRG made pretty strong statements regarding the public perception issue. I don’t see how it gets washed away by paying lip service. The possible legal issues are one thing but the depth of the lifestyle issues here on public perception is the 800# gorilla in the stadiums. Lol, the hypersensitivity in this country, the contract and trade request issue, this masseuse mess, DW picked the wrong era for creating bad karma. To me what the NFL faces is a lot more messy than the legal issues and I agree because the NFL’s possible actions could be bet on.
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
News Item

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Deshaun Watson's deposition won't happen before Super Bowl LVI

Deshaun Watson recently posted a video of his preparations for the 2021 football season.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Potential key dates

The “agreed docket control order” in the cases, which was signed by the presiding judge on May 1, provides that Watson’s sworn deposition won’t be taken before February 22, 2022. That’s nine days after the next Super Bowl is played.

Deposition of the plaintiffs may be taken as of September 13, 2021. With 22 plaintiffs to be questioned, more than a month of business days will be needed to finish all of them. Other fact witnesses likely will be questioned, including (but perhaps not limited to) reins and family members to whom the plaintiffs may have made comments relevant to the situation.

No specific trial date has been set. The pre-trial discovery process ends on March 25.

A pre-trial status conference, during which the trial date likely will be set, is scheduled for May 2, 2022.
Click to expand...
To me it looks like an intended move by Hardin and Watson. Let's say they agree to Buzbee's wanting any settlement to be confidential, so they counter with extended dates for any potential depositions/court dates. This could force the NFL to take action to subside the Texans losses from paying a whole year's salary if Watson went on the CEL while the NFL waited for civil proceedings. The NFL does not have to wait on other entities and can complete their investigation and make a ruling. In this scenario Watson's team could be banking on some sort of punishment that would still enable him to play in 2021 and allows the Texans to trade him.
 
Usually, the defendant in civil litigation wants — and pays for — confidentiality. It’s rare for the defendant to insist that everything be disclosed. It’s even more rare for the plaintiff to want everything, including the settlement amount, to never be known.

The fact that the two sides haggled over whether the settlement would be treated as confidential also carries a strong implicit message. There’s no reason to fuss over the confidentiality of a settlement if a settlement isn’t on the verge of happening. In other words, the parties quite possibly had a tentative deal as to the amount that Watson would pay each of the 22 plaintiffs before the negotiations went haywire on the issue of confidentiality.

The fact that Buzbee wanted confidentiality also implies that the amounts that Watson tentatively agreed to pay were nothing to brag about.

If so, all of this means that things can get back on track, if the parties can come up with a solution to the confidentiality question. Maybe the compromise entails the amounts being treated as secret, but with the plaintiffs and Watson free to discuss the allegations, defenses, and any other issues relating to the facts.
***
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Tony Buzbee confirms demand for confidentiality of any Deshaun Watson settlement

After several weeks of silence in the Deshaun Watson litigation, the lawyers dusted off their back and forth last week, squabbling over the question of which of them made the first move regarding settlement.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
***
OK it says here that Buzzbutt is unwilling to agree to public disclosure on the details of these cases while Hardin & DW4 are saying
put it all out there. If we covered this before my apologies, but I dunno maybe the worst case allegations about DW4s actions are just that, allegations and nothing more ?
You know I'm pretty dang dense, so I'm kinda confused about all of this and would sure like to hear explanations about this from some of DW4s harshest critics.
 
TxnsJuggernaut1 said:
I do think it looks bad for Deshaun and I would go with C. at this time, but based on lack of evidence and only hearesay up to this point, I will have to go with none of the above.
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He's definitely A

We're really just debating whether he's B or C and whether he's going to get convicted criminally/Civilly or both.
 
djohn2oo8 said:
And then they ignore the Sports Illustrated verified story from the masseuse not suing for money
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Well you got the story part right. Allegedly it isn't about money, which is why they are suing for the minimum $500. But now it's coming out that they are trying to settle with Watson and want the settlement to remain confidential, whereas Watson is pushing for full disclosure.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Tony Buzbee confirms demand for confidentiality of any Deshaun Watson settlement

After several weeks of silence in the Deshaun Watson litigation, the lawyers dusted off their back and forth last week, squabbling over the question of which of them made the first move regarding settlement.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
 
Texian said:
The Deshaun Watson lawsuits: new information—and more context - Sports Illustrated
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Good god that was hard to follow. It’s troubling enough that without a final solution I don’t see how the NFL could let him play before the issue is decided which may fall to the attorneys grand kids. The fact that SI reported this IMO makes the NFL’s job even more difficult. I’m getting to the point where I believe just the known facts are so sordid that any team trading for him risks a hailstorm of fan complaints.
 
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