The critical year of the Deshaun Watson era may be upon us.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
The latest civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault and battery against Deshaun Watson has been resolved in a confidential settlement, according to Tony Buzbee, the plaintiff’s lawyer.
The allegations made in a lawsuit filed on September 9 in Texas were being investigated by the NFL and could have led to another suspension of Watson and possibly void his Browns contract. But the settlement will prevent the accuser from being interviewed by the NFL.
She was seeking $1 million in damages.
Buzbee represented 23 massage therapists who accused Watson of sexual misconduct during therapy sessions in Houston in 2020 and 2021. They were all settled out of court and resulted in the NFL suspending Watson for 11 games in 2022 for violations of the league personal conduct policy.
This season, Watson’s on-field troubles have exceeded his off-field problems. He is the lowest-ranked starting quarterback in the league and directs the NFL’s 32nd-ranked offense.
On Tuesday, coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated that Watson will continue to be the Browns’ starting quarterback.