Browns need Deshaun Watson exit strategy fast. And why on earth are they playing him?

CLEVELAND — The number of women who have accused Deshaun Watson in court filings of sexual misconduct is now up to 27. 

The number of games he has started for the Cleveland Browns since they acquired him — and guaranteed him $230 million — is 13. 

We are early into the third year of Watson’s five-year contract, and the trade has been a disaster. Even by the Browns’ standards, this one makes drafting Johnny Manziel look like a wise investment. 

I write that with a sense of embarrassment and accountability. I understood why the Browns pursued him. They had a roster ready to win and a quarterback who was good but not great. They were on a tight contention window with some of their best players in their prime and they were trying to improve quickly at the most important position. Watson’s performance as a member of the Houston Texans certainly appeared to be an upgrade over Baker Mayfield. 

But another woman has come forward this week with more heinous, vile accusations against Watson.

The Browns need an exit strategy.

And they need to sit him until they have one.

Watson has maintained his innocence through all of this and did so again Wednesday both publicly and through a statement released by his attorney, Rusty Hardin. He insists he’s done nothing wrong — even while writing settlement checks for more than 20 of the cases against him.

Statement from Deshaun Watson’s legal representation. pic.twitter.com/eWlqsZ6QGI

— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) September 11, 2024

This latest allegation seemed to surprise everyone inside the Browns. Despite the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, writing in a statement that Watson’s defense team has known about this case for the last 10 months, Watson said Wednesday he didn’t know about it until it was reported in the media. 

Both Deshaun Watson and Kevin Stefanski said they were unaware of the new allegations against Watson before the civil suit was filed Monday. https://t.co/Q8owb3NllV https://t.co/15HjHzFIvZ

— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) September 11, 2024

Coach Kevin Stefanski, typically loathe to reveal even the color of his game-day hoodie, said he did not know about this case before this week.  If the organization can prove Watson was aware of the potential allegation before he signed the contract and did not disclose it to the team, they may have a way out of this mess.

If they do, they’d better take it.

The vast majority of pro athletes never face one allegation of sexual misconduct, much less 27. Watson doesn’t have much of an explanation for why new allegations are still emerging.

“I’m in the same boat as you, boss man,” he said. 

It’s apparently all some big, grand conspiracy against him that 27 women, their attorney, the NFL and a retired U.S. District judge are all in on. Remember, Judge Sue L. Robinson already determined the NFL cleared its burden of proof in the four cases presented before her in 2022. That’s what ultimately led to Watson’s 11-game suspension two years ago.

If it’s true that Watson is innocent and has done nothing wrong, why didn’t he countersue for defamation of character against any of the women before he settled? Will he sue this one?

The NFL will yet again investigate the credibility of these new claims. The latest woman, known in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, is the first to accuse Watson of having sex with her against her will while the two were inside her apartment in October 2020. The bulk of the accusations against Watson previously surrounded his behavior during massages. This one is much different. 

“Watson grabbed Jane Doe’s leg and positioned her so that she was lying down,” the lawsuit states. “Watson then partially disrobed Jane Doe and penetrated her vagina without consent, implicit or explicit.”

Yet Stefanski said Watson will start this week against the Jaguars and the Browns appear to have no plans of benching him. How can they continue running him out as the face of the franchise if there is any uncertainty over the veracity of these claims? The Texans sat Watson for the entire 2021 season while they worked through his trade request and a slew of sexual misconduct allegations. The Browns are showing no inclination to do the same. Stefanski declared within hours of the court filing that Watson will start Sunday.

Before they traded for him, the Browns said they did “due diligence” investigating the cases against Watson. How much due diligence have they done this week?

“Deshaun, did you do it?”

“No.”

“Cool. Suit up.”

No one within the building has an answer to the case’s credibility because Stefanski admitted he had no prior knowledge of this case before this week.

Apparently, the Browns are just taking Watson at his word. It’s an incredible amount of blind trust to have in someone who has been sued now 27 times.

The Browns should be searching for an out. They’ve already paid Watson more than $130 million in actual cash, but only about $60 million of it has counted against their cap They still have another $170 million to go on the spreadsheets. 

The quarterback position demands a deep amount of trust both on and off the field. I asked Watson why Browns fans and the organization should trust him and believe him given the mountain of allegations against him these last few years.

“I can’t speak for the fans, I can’t speak for anybody outside this building,” he said. “But I know that hearing from the Haslams and A.B. (Browns GM Andrew Berry) and those guys, I know that they tell me each and every day that they support me, and they got my back and that they want me to focus on being the best quarterback I can be. So that’s all I can do is just speak my truth, tell them the truth. They talked with my legal team and everyone that was a part of this whole process. And they have to make their decision, and that decision was to give me the opportunity to come be their franchise quarterback to help this team win.”

Deshaun Watson speaks to the media before practice https://t.co/1NtQiFiP8y

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 11, 2024

Watson has done little to earn such trust from anyone in the organization. But let’s be clear: The decision to play him during new allegations rises well above the head coach and even the general manager. This is an ownership decision to keep running him out there. This is on Jimmy and Dee Haslam.

His on-field performance might push them into an uncomfortable decision regardless of the contract. He was mediocre last year before a rare shoulder injury ended his season in November. He had a terrible training camp this year. He was a disaster in Sunday’s loss to Dallas, holding the ball too long and throwing passes 7 yards out of bounds. He has rarely looked like the quarterback from Houston the Browns believed they were getting. 

The Browns have a roster capable of making a deep playoff run and a quarterback that can’t stop getting sued. Whatever boat Watson believes he’s on is sinking. Fast. The Browns don’t need him or his boat. They need a life preserver.

(Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)