The message is not getting through to Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson of the Browns speaks during a press conference prior to a joint practice with the Eagles at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on Thursday in Berea, Ohio. Credit: Getty Images/Nick Cammett
The final decision was handed down Thursday, thus completing an investigation that lasted months before deliberations about the punishment for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed on an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine for Watson after he was accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women.
But make no mistake: Despite a resolution of the case, the fallout will last much longer.
Watson may have thought a final rendering of his situation would allow him to escape further scrutiny and criticism, but his lack of accountability and remorse will continue to cast a dark cloud over his career. And that may last well beyond his return to the NFL in late November.
Just days after finally issuing his first apology to the women affected by his actions, Watson reversed field and proclaimed his innocence once the final terms of the suspension and fine were announced. He said late last week that he was “truly sorry to all the women that I’ve impacted in this situation. [There are] decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position I would definitely like to have back.”
But on Thursday, he expressed a much different sentiment. “I’m moving on with my career and my life, and I’m going to continue to stand on my innocence,” he said. “Just because settlements and things like that happen doesn’t mean that person is guilty for anything.”
What an incredibly tone-deaf comment, especially after his comments from the previous week, and especially after repeatedly showing an unwillingness to accept responsibility for his actions.
Watson escaped criminal prosecution for the allegations, as two grand juries did not return an indictment. But with more than two dozen women accusing him of inappropriate sexual behavior during massage sessions, and with former federal Judge Sue L. Robinson determining during a hearing in June that Watson violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy, Watson’s wish to move on with his career and life are cynical and ring hollow.
In her ruling, which called for a six-game suspension with no fine, Robinson called Watson’s behavior “predatory conduct” and said there were multiple violations of the conduct policy. The NFL was unwilling to let Watson off so lightly, saying his behavior required a more severe punishment than six games and no fine. The league wanted an indefinite suspension lasting at least one year and a fine of up to $10 million.
The settlement reached with the NFLPA was somewhere in the middle and was the harshest penalty of its kind under the league’s personal conduct policy. Yet Watson’s lack of remorse suggests he still doesn’t fully grasp the seriousness of his case.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam didn’t help, either, acknowledging the double standard that’s used for a player of Watson’s talent.
“I think in this country, and hopefully in the world, people deserve second chances, OK?” Haslam told reporters.
Fair enough. But . . .
“You can say, ‘Well, that’s because [Watson] is a star quarterback,’” Haslam said. “Well, of course. If he was Joe Smith, he wouldn’t be in the headlines every day.”
Haslam’s wife, Browns co-owner Dee Haslam, hopes that time and counseling will enlighten Watson to the point that he understands the true nature of his behavior.
“Counseling takes time,” she said. “You don’t just go to a counseling session and wake up and understand the impact it has. It takes weeks, months, a long time to get to where you understand so much more about yourself. I think Deshaun has made progress from the time he came here to now. He’s making progress, but it’s not gonna happen overnight. He’s 26 years old and he’s just getting into counseling. I think it’s going to take some time.”
He will get that time as he serves his suspension, which begins after the preseason. Watson is scheduled to return for a Week 13 game against his former team, the Texans, on Dec. 4.
The league reserves the right to delay Watson’s reinstatement if it is determined that he has not more fully come to terms with his behavior. Maybe by the time he is ready to return to the NFL, he will better understand the pain he has inflicted and will be able to take full accountability for his actions.
Football brothers for life
Jets defensive lineman Marty Lyons watches play during an NFL divisional playoff game against the Browns on Jan. 3, 1987 in Cleveland. Credit: AP/Al Messerschmidt Archive
It didn’t take Marty Lyons long to recognize that Joe Klecko probably was the most intense competitor he’d ever been around. Early in Lyons’ rookie season in 1979, the Jets were coming off a 56-3 loss to the Patriots, and Klecko got into a fight the next game.
Lyons, who played for Bear Bryant at Alabama, was taught to never fight during a game. He went in to break it up and grabbed Klecko.
“I pulled him out of the middle of the fight,” Lyons recalled, “and we got back to the huddle and Joe said, ‘If you ever do that again, I’ll kick your [butt] in front of everybody. You either fight with me or leave me alone.’ ”
It left an indelible impression on Lyons, a member of the Jets’ famed “New York Sack Exchange” defensive line along with Klecko, Mark Gastineau and Abdul Salaam.
“I knew if he got in a fight,” said Lyons, the Jets’ longtime radio color commentator, “I was going to be in it with him. I learned early from him what it took to be a professional athlete and a teammate.”
Lyons was elated that this past week, Klecko was advanced as a Seniors candidate for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If Klecko receives at least 80% approval from the Hall of Fame’s full 49-person committee next January, he’ll be inducted next August.
Klecko and Lyons remain close friends.
“I’m so proud to say that I played alongside him,” Lyons said, “but I’m blessed with the friendship we’ve had for over 40 years. Going to battle every week was one thing, but when the game ended, we maintained a friendship.”
When will Brady return?
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady throw during a training camp practice on Aug. 10 in Tampa, Fla. Credit: AP/Chris O'Meara
All eyes will be on Tampa this week as the Buccaneers await the return of Tom Brady, who has taken a personal leave of absence from the team for undisclosed reasons.
It’s a highly unusual situation, but then again, it’s highly unusual — OK, it’s unprecedented — that a 45-year-old quarterback at the top of his game is still playing. That said, coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem all that worried about Brady’s absence extending any longer than expected.
“I know exactly when Tom is coming back,” Bowles said on Friday (although he wouldn’t reveal the date). “Do I look worried? I’m not worried, so I don’t know why anyone else would be worried.”
Hmmm. Not sure Bucs fans share that sentiment.
Fields shows improvement
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields passes during the first half of a preseason NFL game against the Seahawks on Thursday in Seattle Credit: AP/Stephen Brashear
The Bears are encouraged about second-year quarterback Justin Fields’ work during the preseason, especially coming off Thursday night’s 27-3 win over the Seahawks in Seattle.
His footwork is much improved over last year, he’s seeing the field better, and he’s convincing a new coaching staff that good things lie ahead.
“He’s improving every single day,” first-year coach Matt Eberflus said after the Seattle game.
One thing Eberflus and his staff are focused on: allowing Fields to throw more while on the move.
How does Fields assess his game?
“Felt pretty good,” he said. “I feel like every time I get on the field, it’s an opportunity for me to get better.”
Fields still has challenges ahead, and not simply because of his own relative inexperience. The Bears’ offensive line remains a question mark, and they have one of the most nondescript skill position groups in the league.
Deja vu for Brissett
Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett looks to throw during a practice in Berea, Ohio, on Aug. 14. Credit: AP/David Dermer
With Watson set to serve his suspension, Jacoby Brissett will fill in at quarterback. It’s not the first time he faces unusual circumstances as a backup.
In 2019, Brissett was thrust into the Colts’ starting lineup when Andrew Luck retired during the preseason. Brissett went 7-8 as a starter, throwing 18 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
“I just have to be myself,” said Brissett, a third-round pick of the Patriots in 2016. “I think we have a plan and we’re going along with the plan and I’m continuing to get more and more comfortable with the offense.”
In 2016 with the Patriots, Brissett, then No. 3 on the depth chart, started the final two games of Tom Brady’s Deflategate suspension when second-string quarterbak Jimmy Garoppolo was injured in Week 2.
Now there is speculation the Browns will go after Jimmy G., who remains under contract in San Francisco but no longer is in the 49ers’ plans now that Trey Lance is the starter.
But trading for Garoppolo comes with risk; not only would the Browns have to give up draft-choice compensation, but Garoppolo is under contract for $24.2 million this season.
Hurts makes progress
The Eagles' Jalen Hurts looks to pass during the first half of a preseason NFL game against the Jets on Aug. 12 in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
The Eagles are counting on improvement from second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts, and he’s delivering on those hopes.
“Just continue to see him progress every day,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s been sharp all camp.”
Sirianni is especially pleased when Hurts’ first read is covered and he has to throw elsewhere.
“I think he’s doing outstanding,” Sirianni said. “If nobody is open on this play . . . he has to escape and make a play out of that, and I think he’s done a good job with that.”
It says here: If Hurts makes meaningful progress in 2022, Philly will beat out Dallas for the NFC East title.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
