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Sexual Assault Suits Against Watson

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Aw shucks Daddy, instead of grounding me for 17 weeks, I'll let you ground me for 8 weeks, only during the week days...............and I'll let you take away all my cigarettes I keep hidden from you under the bed.
 
In case people don't fully understand the difference between a suspension for a finite number of games vs. a suspension of any number of games with an attached "indefinite":

A suspension for a finite period, the player remains part of the NFL and can return following its completion..........during the suspension, the player is still part of the NFL.

A suspension for any period of time with the attachment of "indefinite," the player cannot return without reapplying and being reinstated..............until then, they are no longer part of the NFL as of the date of his "indefinite" suspension.

The latter explains why upon "indefinite" suspension, Watson would automatically not be allowed to participate in any TC activities.
 
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No one seems to deny or disagree with 66 massage workers. Sure not all 66 filed lawsuits but there could be suits from them or others.
The hints seemingly point to Goodell wanting 17 games for 4 violations roughly 4 games for each violation. Just as reasonable is one game for each massage worker or 66 games. Noted is some have suggested up to 100 women exist minus the 29 DW settled with leaves 71 possible lawsuits or violations of the code.

66 games.
 
djohn2oo8 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1557858001301770243
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I wonder if Roger Goodell knows if he accepted this how it will look how bad he would get played. He initially was willing to compromise on 12 games. Watson refused. Then it went to six and Goodell went nuclear. Now Watson is saying he will do Goodell a favor and sit out 8 games and pay a 5 million dollar fine.

Maybe it’s just me, but I would be insulted.
 
For NFL, Deshaun Watson’s settlement proposal is surely too little, too late
Posted by Mike Florio on August 11, 2022, 8:53 PM EDT

With appeals officer Peter Harvey quite possibly poised to impose a lengthy suspension on Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson as soon as Friday, Watson’s camp has floated the notion of Watson accepting an eight-game suspension, along with a $5 million fine.

The league has yet to offer any indication as to its position regarding Watson’s reported proposal. Our guess is that the league regards it to be far too little, and far too late.

In the current posture, the NFL is at the end of the road, with Harvey eight days into an appeal process that, by rule, must be expedited. It’s entirely possible that Harvey is putting the finishing touches on a written ruling that will suspend Watson for at least one full season, effective tomorrow.

Watson’s sudden willingness to make a significant proposal comes at a time when it’s increasingly obvious that Harvey will be doing what Commissioner Roger Goodell wants — dropping the hammer on Watson.

The league can’t turn back now, not after the Commissioner used words like “egregious” and “predatory” when discussing Watson two days ago. A negotiated compromise that would result in Watson missing only two more games than Judge Sue L. Robinson imposed likely won’t fly in the court of public opinion. Thus, it won’t fly with the league.

Besides, at some point this isn’t about Deshaun Watson. It’s about the next Deshaun Watson. It’s about sending a clear message to any player accused of wrongdoing in the future that it’s always better to take your reckoning as early as possible, avoiding months of bad press and countless hours of work to prove something that the player should have just admitted to having done.

It’s also about the NFL fully exercising the power that it continues to possess under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Personal Conduct Policy.

Watson could have settled the Ashley Solis claim for payment in the range of $75,000, before the first suit was filed. Instead, Watson’s camp stonewalled attorney Tony Buzbee, and in so doing pissed him off. One lawsuit became 24 became repeated P.R. body blows and millions of dollars in settlements and legal fees. It hurt the league, too. The endless Watson stories damaged The Shield, indirectly. And if Watson had simply owned up to his misconduct instead of constantly doubling down, this would have ended for both him and the league before it ever even started.

Instead, Watson categorically denied wrongdoing. Judge Robinson necessarily found that Watson lied to the league’s investigators. One of his representatives crowed about Watson’s innocence to Adam Schefter of ESPN after a grand jury decided in March not to indict Watson, which only made things worse when Schefter tweeted that Watson welcomed a criminal investigation because he knew “the truth would come out.” Last Thursday, Buzbee called out Schefter during a press conference for his effort to carry Watson’s water after the grand jury opted not to file criminal charges, saying that “this kind of foolishness is exactly why people do not pursue justice.”

Although Buzbee’s tactics have at times been cartoonish, he’s right. The truth didn’t come out when prosecutors opted not to aggressively pursue a fight that, under the very high standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, they likely would have lost. Judge Robinson, hired jointly by the league and the union, made a ruling as to the truth, as far as the NFL is concerned. Four instances of non-violent sexual assault. “Egregious” misconduct. “Predatory behavior.” Untruthful denials. A total lack of remorse.

Sorry, Deshaun, but the time for having a true reckoning has long since expired. This is nothing more than a Hail Mary aimed at avoiding the punishment that the league has every right to impose. And it will definitely be a lot more than eight games and $5 million.
 
Can Deshaun Watson Get a TRO & Play Week One? Here Are His Legal Options
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Amy Dash |

Fake legal news happens to be a real thing. It’s when people who are not lawyers or sometimes even lawyers themselves, who want to create a fake buzz or don’t have a good understanding of the intricacies of a case, spread information that’s just not practical or realistic. This leads to the misuse of legal terms and a chaotic misunderstanding of the legal process.

A small group of Browns fans on social media seem to be convinced that Deshaun Watson can rush to federal court, if he doesn’t like the new suspension decision on appeal. Many are convinced he can just grab a “TRO” or temporary restraining order stopping the NFL from imposing its discipline. They think he can grab this type of “injunction” sort of like grabbing a Big Mac from McDonalds with a side of fries, then hop in a luxury sportscar and head over to the game, take the field in a superman cape and play week one all while leaving the NFL looking defeated on the Courthouse steps.


Not. So. Fast. Injunctions are one of the hardest legal remedies to get. Watson would have to prove several things, none of which even apply, and even then he may not get one. Injunctions are emergency remedies, where the Court rushes to stop something from happening because if it does, it could cause harm to someone that cannot be repaired.

What would Deshaun Watson’s irreparable harm be? He has none. In the past, courts have struck down arguments that players will be harmed by not being able to play for their teams.

Deshaun Watson and the NFLPA have accepted a six-game suspension, so you really think a Judge is gonna sit there and listen to the lawyers say that Watson would be harmed by a 10 game or 12 game or even 16 game suspension after they were totally fine with a six game one? Watson stands to lose more if court delays push this case into year two of his contract and he’s suspended when set to make 46 million dollars. So there is no financial harm, or even intangible harm here to him that would ever merit the grant of an injunction.

Next, Watson has to prove a “likelihood of success on the merits” of his case, to get an injunction. In other words, that he’s likely to win. Watson’s chances of winning a case trying to overturn an arbitration award that he and his team just praised as “full,” “fair”, thorough and “impartial,” is zero. Another no go. Plus a long line of cases (Brady, Elliott, etc.) set a precedent that would instruct a Judge to kick this guy’s case out of court. This just happened last year to Dallas Cowboys’ offensive lineman La’el Collins, who ran to get an injunction to stop his suspension from taking place and was quickly denied and sent on his way.


In a previous article, which you can read HERE, I discussed why a court will definitely not want to review an arbitration award now, right after the NFLPA and NFL just newly negotiated their process. I explained that challenges to arbitral awards require unfairness in the procedure. Not only has the NFLPA been more involved in this new procedure that it negotiated and agreed to (for example, helping choose the arbitrator) but it praised the process and vowed to stand by Judge Sue Robinson’s findings.

Everyone is wondering why the NFLPA can’t still go and challenge a decision by Roger Goodell’s new designee, if they don’t like the outcome. The more technically legal answer is that there are very limited grounds on which you can challenge an arbitration award. You can’t just run and make something up and lawyers can’t bring frivolous suits either.

Here are the legal grounds applicable in most states and at the federal level that are in place for challenging an arbitration:

1. The arbitral decision was procured through fraud/corruption

2. A corrupt arbitrator presided

3. The arbitrator was guilty of misconduct (by refusing to hear evidence for example)

4. The arbitrator exceeded his powers

As we saw in the Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott challenges, courts do not want to disturb arbitration awards or frankly, to be involved at all, because those processes were collectively bargained for and negotiated. Arbitration is a substitute for going to court and courts are thrilled that those cases are handled outside of the very clogged judicial system.


Nevertheless, Brady and Elliott made some initial headway with their challenges because they challenged the fairness of the underlying arbitration process in place under the outdated CBA. They argued, under the limited grounds above, that Roger Goodell exceeded his powers and was guilty of misconduct. They attacked the arbitrator and the process as unfair. For example, with the Elliott case, he could not cross-examine his accuser, certain evidence was not heard (like an opinion in Elliott’s favor from one of the investigators) and certain evidence was not allowed to be presented.

Same with Brady, who argued that he was denied the opportunity to cross-examine one of the two lead investigators of the investigative report: NFL General Counsel Jeff Pash. Brady also said he was denied access to investigative files, including witness interview notes.

The main gripe for both was the unfairness of Goodell being judge, jury and executioner and the rules of evidence and testimony in place at the time. To be even more clear, none of the above four grounds exist in the Watson story. The procedure has been entirely reformed and that reform has been acknowledged by the NFLPA in its most recent statement. The arbitrator was praised by the NFLPA for her impartiality, and she reviewed thousands of pages of documents. The NFLPA seemed pretty thrilled and content that all of the evidence was heard, exchanged and the arbitrator was legit. If anything, it was the accusers’ attorney, Tony Buzbee, crying foul on the new process. At a recent presser, Buzbee was the one complaining that his clients did not get to be a part of the process, were not all interviewed by the NFL and were never asked to testify at the arbitration.

If the NFLPA goes to a Judge and tries to complain about the new decision on appeal because the NFLPA disagrees with the outcome, that will also not work.

THE REST OF THE STORY
 
OptimisticTexan said:
This request by Watson has suddenly spun the spotlight back on him.....as an admission of guilt. If Watson had wanted to maintain his innocence, he would've stuck to his guns and taken his NFL suspension while fighting to the bitter end.
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It also looks like, to me at least, Watson is now trying to dictate his punishment which I think would reinforce this image of entitlement that many people have come to see him as. There is no question that Watson is an intelligent person but I don't believe he is a smart one. I also have trouble believing that Hardin's team is making this many blunders. They are to good and have been doing it to long so I wonder if this is Watson going off the reservation and saying whatever he wants.
 
maverick512000 said:
It also looks like, to me at least, Watson is now trying to dictate his punishment which I think would reinforce this image of entitlement that many people have come to see him as. There is no question that Watson is an intelligent person but I don't believe he is a smart one. I also have trouble believing that Hardin's team is making this many blunders. They are to good and have been doing it to long so I wonder if this is Watson going off the reservation and saying whatever he wants.
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I don't think Hardin's team is as involved with the NFL process. On a previous radio interview, Hardin mentioned specifically about handling the criminal and civil charges while Watson's team handle the business side including the contract negotiations with the Browns. Considering the NFLPA hired Jeffrey Kessler, I would guess his agency and NFLPA are more involved with these decisions than Hardin.
 
maverick512000 said:
It also looks like, to me at least, Watson is now trying to dictate his punishment which I think would reinforce this image of entitlement that many people have come to see him as. There is no question that Watson is an intelligent person but I don't believe he is a smart one. I also have trouble believing that Hardin's team is making this many blunders. They are to good and have been doing it to long so I wonder if this is Watson going off the reservation and saying whatever he wants.
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Contradictory post of the day

Derrick is a dumbazz. If you mean smart like a con man I will agree with you. If you mean smart like a Mensa candidate, well he went to Clemson for a reason.
 
Earl34 said:
I don't think Hardin's team is as involved with the NFL process. On a previous radio interview, Hardin mentioned specifically about handling the criminal and civil charges while Watson's team handle the business side including the contract negotiations with the Browns. Considering the NFLPA hired Jeffrey Kessler, I would guess his agency and NFLPA are more involved with these decisions than Hardin.
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Yep, Hardin did his job. Keeping Derrick out of jail.
 
maverick512000 said:
It also looks like, to me at least, Watson is now trying to dictate his punishment which I think would reinforce this image of entitlement that many people have come to see him as. There is no question that Watson is an intelligent person but I don't believe he is a smart one. I also have trouble believing that Hardin's team is making this many blunders. They are to good and have been doing it to long so I wonder if this is Watson going off the reservation and saying whatever he wants.
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I wouldn't rule out anything at this time. But Hardin has made his share of questionable misteps. And it would be naive to believe that Mulagheta does not have a significant voice in Watson's ear.
 
steelbtexan said:
Contradictory post of the day

Derrick is a dumbazz. If you mean smart like a con man I will agree with you. If you mean smart like a Mensa candidate, well he went to Clemson for a reason.
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Its not contradictory at all, I've meet plenty of very intelligent people that I would not say are smart. I see this particularly with engineers, pretty much all of them have the intelligence to draw up blueprints but the smart ones look at the blueprints and realize that it will only work on paper and not in real life. I give the devil their due and remember the press conferences where Watson would break down plays and what was going on so that showed he is intelligent. Pretty much everything he has done the last 2-3 years has shown he's not very smart though.
 
Earl34 said:
I don't think Hardin's team is as involved with the NFL process. On a previous radio interview, Hardin mentioned specifically about handling the criminal and civil charges while Watson's team handle the business side including the contract negotiations with the Browns. Considering the NFLPA hired Jeffrey Kessler, I would guess his agency and NFLPA are more involved with these decisions than Hardin.
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It has been previously repeatedly reported that Hardin has been working hand in hand with Jeffrey Kessler and the NFLPA on Watson's defense.
 
Earl34 said:
I don't think Hardin's team is as involved with the NFL process. On a previous radio interview, Hardin mentioned specifically about handling the criminal and civil charges while Watson's team handle the business side including the contract negotiations with the Browns. Considering the NFLPA hired Jeffrey Kessler, I would guess his agency and NFLPA are more involved with these decisions than Hardin.
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You could be right but even in the civil disposition Watson made statements that even a rookie lawyer would tell a client not to say and at times he seemed to jump from being overcoached, his answers not sounding natural and repeating the same message even if it sounds stupid, and not coached at all. A prime example is when Buzzbeen asked if he found any of the women attractive and he kept going on about having a girlfriend, that doesn't mean you don't find other women attractive so it came across as sounding unnatural.
 
maverick512000 said:
You could be right but even in the civil disposition Watson made statements that even a rookie lawyer would tell a client not to say and at times he seemed to jump from being overcoached, his answers not sounding natural and repeating the same message even if it sounds stupid, and not coached at all. A prime example is when Buzzbeen asked if he found any of the women attractive and he kept going on about having a girlfriend, that doesn't mean you don't find other women attractive so it came across as sounding unnatural.
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I wouldn't call it "unnatural." I would call his response straight forward "naturally" evasive. Left on his own without being hand-held and spoon-fed with a coached script, Watson comes across not only not smart, but not even close to intelligent.
 
zshawn10 said:
I can see the NFL handing down the punishment today since the Browns plays tonight and Deshaun is starting
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I would be surprised if they did, and wouldn’t be mad at them if they didn’t do anything today and Watson got to play.

After sitting a year out, let Watson play a series or two in preseason and remember what it’s like to play in the NFL.

Then take it all away from him.
 
TexansBull said:
I would be surprised if they did, and wouldn’t be mad at them if they didn’t do anything today and Watson got to play.

After sitting a year out, let Watson play a series or two in preseason and remember what it’s like to play in the NFL.

Then take it all away from him.
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Watson will always try to play the victim

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If a 1 year indefinite suspension is announced in the next few hours, rumor I saw is around 4 EST, is it actually in Watson's favor for the NFLPA to try to fight it? Seems to me like they can't win long term and if they delay it, Goodell will certainly put him on the exempt list. A delay would seem like exactly what the NFL wants. Watson sits out this season on the exempt list making very little, then has to sit out next year when it is a much more substantial financial hit. He is out of football for 3 years and even if reinstated may never see field again. In this scenario it punishes the Browns and Watson for trying to bypass the punishment with the backloaded contract.

What outcome am I missing that would make Watson want to fight the indefinite year suspension?
 
steelbtexan said:
Contradictory post of the day

Derrick is a dumbazz. If you mean smart like a con man I will agree with you. If you mean smart like a Mensa candidate, well he went to Clemson for a reason.
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He scored 20 on his Wonderlic test. I guess the 'bright side' is he's smarter than Vince Young? :heh:

According to the metrics:

QB Average Score?

According to Paul Zimmerman's The New Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football, the average score of an NFL quarterback is 26. Most teams want at least a 21 for a quarterback.
 
Double Barrel said:
He scored 20 on his Wonderlic test. I guess the 'bright side' is he's smarter than Vince Young? :heh:

According to the metrics:

QB Average Score?

According to Paul Zimmerman's The New Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football, the average score of an NFL quarterback is 26. Most teams want at least a 21 for a quarterback.
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For whatever you think the value of the Wonderlic............
Listed below are the scores of the 12 quarterbacks in the 2017 Draft, per the Journal Sentinel.

  • Brad Kaaya, Miami 34
  • Nate Peterman, Pittsburgh (former Tennessee) 32
  • Trevor Knight, Texas A&M 30
  • Josh Dobbs, Tennessee 29
  • DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame 28
  • CJ Beathard, Iowa 26
  • Mitchell Trubisky, UNC 25
  • Davis Webb, Cal 25
  • Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech 24
  • Chad Kelly, Ole Miss 22
  • Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech 21
  • Deshaun Watson, Clemson 20
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
For whatever you think the value of the Wonderlic............
Listed below are the scores of the 12 quarterbacks in the 2017 Draft, per the Journal Sentinel.

  • Brad Kaaya, Miami 34
  • Nate Peterman, Pittsburgh (former Tennessee) 32
  • Trevor Knight, Texas A&M 30
  • Josh Dobbs, Tennessee 29
  • DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame 28
  • CJ Beathard, Iowa 26
  • Mitchell Trubisky, UNC 25
  • Davis Webb, Cal 25
  • Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech 24
  • Chad Kelly, Ole Miss 22
  • Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech 21
  • Deshaun Watson, Clemson 20
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Agree. Peyton Manning scored a 28 and Tom Brady scored a 33 while Ryan Fitzpatrick scored a 48. Brady and Manning are two of the smartest QBs to ever play the game. Fitzpatrick was known to make some of the dumbest turnovers at the worst possible time by any starting QB.

The Wonderlic is just one of the many tools in a team's talent evaluation kit. By itself, it's not this great predictor of on-field success or intelligence. That's my opinion on the value.
 
Florio is still talking about settlement. :toropalm:

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Settlement remains possible in Deshaun Watson discipline
Posted by Mike Florio on August 12, 2022, 3:01 PM EDT


As the clock ticks toward a resolution of the appeal of the six-game Deshaun Watson suspension, a settlement remains possible.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, an agreed resolution between the NFL and the NFL Players Association could still happen. Last night, the Associated Press reported that Watson would be willing to serve an eight-suspension and pay a $5 million fine.

There’s a growing sense that appeals officer Peter Harvey may not issue a ruling today, so that the two sides can try to work something out. Absent a one-year suspension effective immediately, Watson will be able to play tonight, in Jacksonville. The Browns have said that Watson will start the game.
The NFL currently holds all the cards. A settlement would end the process, and it would prevent a federal court challenge.
It’s unclear what the league would do, or what Watson would be willing to serve.
 
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