Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson has settled his most recent civil lawsuit that accused him of sexual assault, attorney Tony Buzbee told reporters Monday. Per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, the claim has been “resolved,” and the settlement is “confidential.”
Buzbee is the lawyer who represented the latest accuser and is the same attorney who handled the bulk of the two-dozen lawsuits against Watson in 2022.
One month ago, Watson was sued for sexual battery and assault by an unnamed Jane Doe, who accused Watson of wanting a massage and having nonconsensual sex with her before she was able to escape. The allegations were similar to the ones that ended with Watson’s 11-game suspension to start the 2022 season, though this one was more explicit and focused more on sexual assault than harassment.
Watson has maintained his innocence during this and the other lawsuits, though he issued a vague apology in the summer of 2022, shortly before his suspension began.
After this suit was filed, the NFL said they didn’t intend on placing Watson on the Commissioner’s Exempt list until they conducted a thorough investigation. It’s unknown if the settlement will speed up punishment or reduce the odds of the league suspending Watson further.
A suspension from the league could result in the Browns attempting to get out of his contract under the guise of this suit being unknown when Watson signed a fully guaranteed $230 million deal in a trade-and-sign deal with Cleveland in 2022, a blockbuster move that has seen very little return on that record-setting investment.
Making his 17th career start with the Browns yesterday, Watson is 9-8 as the team’s starter. He’s completed exactly 60 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. With the hopes that 2024 would be his best year ever, Watson had been a dud. He’s thrown only five touchdowns to three picks while the Browns are 1-4 and sitting at the bottom of the AFC North, their season on the cusp of being over. A poor running game and a shoddy offensive line haven’t helped. Watson has been sacked a league-high 26 times, including seven times in yesterday’s blowout loss to the Washington Commanders.
Despite his continued poor play, head coach Kevin Stefanski was unwavering in his support for Watson and quickly dismissed the idea of making a quarterback change. If Watson’s struggles continue, the team will eventually change its tone. But for now, they’re sticking with Watson, a man who has settled more sex lawsuits (24) than he has touchdown passes with his current team.
