Sexual assault lawsuit filed against QB DeShaun Watson

Saints Rest

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I had on Carton and Roberts on NY Sports Radio briefly yesterday around 4pm and they seemed convinced that a trade of Watson to the Dolphins was a fait accompli and would be announced today. I don't know why they thought this as they started rambling on about is it better to be wrong and happy or right and miserable? Then I got to my destination and I didn't hear any more.

This article on a site I've never heard of, which references another report, is all I could find about it.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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If so... I'm curious how our resident Phins Phans would pheel about it. From everything I've read in the Tua thread, it seems like he (Tua) is doing everything that the staff would want. Would bringing in Watson hurt more than it would help?
 

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pdaj

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If so... I'm curious how our resident Phins Phans would pheel about it. From everything I've read in the Tua thread, it seems like he (Tua) is doing everything that the staff would want. Would bringing in Watson hurt more than it would help?
Dolphins fan here, and I don't get it.

Miami grabbed their guy (Tua) with the 5th overall pick in '20, and he's now "looking the part," following adequate time removed from a catastrophic hip injury. His game/style in college was always going to be game/style in the pros, and the offense has been devised with these strengths in consideration. What's changed?

1) Watson becoming available. Okay, I get this … when it was just about Deshaun wanting out of a poor situation. Because, shit, if a top 5-7 25-year-old QB comes available, that should change most teams' plans. But now that it's become apparent that he's a serial masseuse assaulter?

2) Tua was "ownership's pick." Some are reporting this. But, really? Flores and Grier let Ross pick their guy? If that's true, why is Ross is letting them move off "his" guy so quickly?

For me, this would only make sense if the following were true:

1) Flores and Grier are unsure about Tua.

2) Watson can be had at a significant discount.

3) The plan is to sit Watson for the year.

If Tua flourishes this season, you can get "your money back" on Watson in a trade elsewhere next offseason. The legal shit will be settled, and a handful of teams will want him. Conversely, if Tua disappoints, you deal him for the best you can get back, and roll with Watson.
 

MuppetAsteriskTalk

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If he's not going to be suspended by the league or put on the commissioners list, why don't they just play him? Just the optics? (He can't be refusing to play, correct? Or else why would they pay him?)
 

Big McCorkle

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The NFL has two weeks to make a decision, and no reason beyond the well-being of the Texans franchise and locker room, which nobody really cares about, to rush it.
 

nattysez

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Jay Glazer tweeted this morning to "keep your eyes on this situation," responding to his own tweet from Saturday saying that the Texans are becoming more open to a trade.
 

FredJones

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There's no way Ross approves this without knowing exactly how long Watson will get suspended, right? So it seems to me like they trade for him, he plays a game or two (if at all) and gets suspended the rest of the year, then the Dolphins tank. Grier is fired after the season and eats the PR hit for the next GM, who comes in with Watson and 3 top 10 picks next year.

*edit*: fewer than 3 top 10 picks, given that they'll likely give some up for Watson.
 

glennhoffmania

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So Miami drafts the wrong QB in the first round and the following year they trade a bunch of picks for a guy who hits women? Solid work.
 

axx

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Talk about desperate by Miami. And is there any reason to think he's even in playing shape?

There's no way Ross approves this without knowing exactly how long Watson will get suspended, right?
Must have gotten reassurances that Watson won't be suspended until criminal charges pop up. Have to think Tua's part of the deal.
 

Cellar-Door

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Talk about desperate by Miami. And is there any reason to think he's even in playing shape?



Must have gotten reassurances that Watson won't be suspended until criminal charges pop up. Have to think Tua's part of the deal.
It sounds like from other non-HOU sources that this is just HOU pushing to try and get something done before the deadline. One thing that's been constant though is that HOU doesn't want Tua back.
 
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How exactly is Miami going to trade for Watson AND have their pretend future GM possess three top 10 picks? Will the dolphins just be trading for Watson by offering Tua and their moral reputation and that’s it?
 

FredJones

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How exactly is Miami going to trade for Watson AND have their pretend future GM possess three top 10 picks? Will the dolphins just be trading for Watson by offering Tua and their moral reputation and that’s it?
Yeah, I edited my comment right after I posted it. No three top 10 picks, probably one or zero.
 

Cellar-Door

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Up to and including rape, so, yeah, a bit worse than a drunken punch in an elevator.
Not to minimize what Ray Rice did, but plenty of guys did worse and played again. If there’s video of Watson engaging in sexual misconduct, he’s finished; if there isn’t, the two cases aren’t comparable.

I still think a trade before there is some clarity on Watson’s legal situation is unlikely, but it’s not as crazy an idea for the Dolphins as it was three months ago. The moral and PR reasons not to trade for Watson are self-evident, but if you assume Ross is willing to look past that, a deal where the Texans pick up most of Watson’s remaining 2021 salary (probably a necessity for cap reasons) and get conditional picks from the Dolphins could work. If Watson returns and is a star, the Texans get the three future 1sts they want; if he returns but isn’t the same player, they get only 1 or 2 1sts; if Watson is finished, the Texans get nothing, and the Dolphins are only out the bad PR.
 

luckiestman

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Not to minimize what Ray Rice did, but plenty of guys did worse and played again. If there’s video of Watson engaging in sexual misconduct, he’s finished; if there isn’t, the two cases aren’t comparable.

I still think a trade before there is some clarity on Watson’s legal situation is unlikely, but it’s not as crazy an idea for the Dolphins as it was three months ago. The moral and PR reasons not to trade for Watson are self-evident, but if you assume Ross is willing to look past that, a deal where the Texans pick up most of Watson’s remaining 2021 salary (probably a necessity for cap reasons) and get conditional picks from the Dolphins could work. If Watson returns and is a star, the Texans get the three future 1sts they want; if he returns but isn’t the same player, they get only 1 or 2 1sts; if Watson is finished, the Texans get nothing, and the Dolphins are only out the bad PR.
How do you* root for this guy as the face of your franchise. He is accused of being a serial rapist.

*obviousy I don’t mean you personally

edit: I have mentioned before maybe years ago that I thought the league should stay out of a lot of stuff and if guys were not in prison then it wasn’t the leagues job to be the cops but man, this case is making me question that. Watson has what, 24 unique accusers?
 
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sodenj5

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People are making this out to be a bigger deal because McClain pushed the story and he’s supposed to be the most credible, connected Texans be writer.

I have no doubts that someone in the Texans organization told him Miami was trying to complete a trade this week. Whether or not his source was being truthful seems pretty unlikely because not a single Miami or national beat writer has followed up and said they’ve heard the same.

This is literally Houston trying to send up the “Please trade for Deshaun” bat signal to the rest of the league, and just like every other time this year, they’ve thrown Miami’s name out there.
 

mauf

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How do you* root for this guy as the face of your franchise. He is accused of being a serial rapist.

*obviousy I don’t mean you personally

edit: I have mentioned before maybe years ago that I thought the league should stay out of a lot of stuff and if guys were not in prison then it wasn’t the leagues job to be the cops but man, this case is making me question that. Watson has what, 24 unique accusers?
I used to be a Steelers fan, so you’re preaching to the choir.

I don’t have a problem with the NFL suspending a player like Watson without due process to protect everyone else’s paycheck. Neither does the NFLPA — I thought DFG might change their tune, but they seem to recognize there’s no workable alternative to trusting the Commissioner in these relatively uncommon cases.
 

DJnVa

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Panthers are expected to make an "aggressive" offer.

All this shows is that the NFL doesn't *really* care about the PR hit--they'll just say "Hey, look, no charges!"

Trevor Bauer is apparently considered persona non grata in MLB, but Watson will have multiple suitors? Maybe I'm missing some nuance here...
 
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snowmanny

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Panthers are expected to make an "aggressive" offer.

All this shows is that the NFL doesn't *really* care about the PR hit--they'll just say "Hey, look, no charges!"

Trevor Bauer is apparently considered persona non grata in MLB, but Watson will have multiple suitors? Maybe I'm missing some nuance here...
Do you think the Patriots could trade for him without a PR nightmare? Or the Commanders?
My guess is that some locales would be more accepting than others.
It is not just the NFL, it is fan bases. Or maybe not fan bases so much as just local sensibilities.
 

axx

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What incentive does the DA have to tank this, if there were a strong case against Watson? Isn't taking down high profile celebrities good for a DA's career?
It's the same thing with Big Ben. It's not good enough to have a strong case of convicting him of something like aggravated assault or whatever where he could do serious time (esp with 9 counts)... it's got to be rape. Rights Groups/The Media would go apeshit otherwise. Tanking solves that problem.

TBF I don't even know what Watson is even alleged to have done so I don't know if the two cases are comparable.
 

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Do you think the Patriots could trade for him without a PR nightmare? Or the Commanders?
My guess is that some locales would be more accepting than others.
It is not just the NFL, it is fan bases. Or maybe not fan bases so much as just local sensibilities.
Two sides to any trade: Side A is the receiving team which, as you infer, will need to be of certain "local sensibility;" and Side B is the football side of things, where Houston will likely try to send him as far away as possible, not in terms of geography but in terms of schedule. So NFC team most preferably; AFC South team least preferably. And then there is the actual compensation match.

So looking at the NFC:
Teams that would have no interest because they are happy with their QB (or stuck with him due to cost): DAL, WAS, LAR, ARI, GB, MIN, ATL.
Teams that likely have no interest due to presumptive "local sensibility:" NYG, PHI, SF, SEA, CHI.
Teams remaining: DET, TB, NO, CAR

Jumping to the chase in the AFC, the only possible matches would seem to be: LVR, PIT, CLE
 

Ralphwiggum

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Yes, you are. Read the reports of what Bauer did.
I don't know, both are pretty heinous. Watson's accusations lack the physical violence component that Bauer's do, but Watson also has 22 accusers. I'm honestly not sure which one is worse and it doesn't seem worth parsing. I wouldn't want either on a team that I root for.
 

Shelterdog

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I don't know, both are pretty heinous. Watson's accusations lack the physical violence component that Bauer's do, but Watson also has 22 accusers. I'm honestly not sure which one is worse and it doesn't seem worth parsing. I wouldn't want either on a team that I root for.
There’s a wide range of allegations-what do you think most of them actually allege?
 

Ralphwiggum

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There’s a wide range of allegations-what do you think most of them actually allege?
Most of them allege he hired a massage therapist for a legit massage and then tried to turn it into sex of some sort. There are (were) two allegations of sexual assault. Anyway, I stand by what I said earlier, maybe Bauer is worse but it’s close and honestly who cares? If Watson wanted a massage with a happy ending there are plenty of women out there you can hire to do that. Like many (most) sexual predators it was about imposing his will on someone who didn’t want it. 22 accusers means there are probably more like 40+ women out there he tried this with.

Going back to the original question the reason why Bauer is persona non grata in MLB and Watson will have multiple suitors has nothing to do with the differences between the allegations and everything to do with Bauer being a decent pitcher and Watson being a young superstar at the most important position in pro sports.
 
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djbayko

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What incentive does the DA have to tank this, if there were a strong case against Watson? Isn't taking down high profile celebrities good for a DA's career?
What if the DA thinks his probability of getting a conviction is around 50/50? There is public pressure to bring a case which could end up a high-profile loss with copious resources expended. They could use the GJ to make it go away.
 
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Fishercat

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Going back to the original question the reason why Bauer is persona non grata in MLB and Watson will have multiple suitors has nothing to do with the differences between the allegations and everything to do with Bauer being a decent pitcher and Watson being a young superstar at the most important position in pro sports.
Let’s not undersell Bauer. 2020 Cy Young winner, very good 2021 until the suspension and a very good to top tier pitcher for most of the half decade. But I agree, if Watson wasn’t a Top 10, young QB? We would likely see more similar treatment to Bauer.
 

Ralphwiggum

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Let’s not undersell Bauer. 2020 Cy Young winner, very good 2021 until the suspension and a very good to top tier pitcher for most of the half decade. But I agree, if Watson wasn’t a Top 10, young QB? We would likely see more similar treatment to Bauer.
That's fair, I don't really follow baseball anymore outside of watching the Sox play, I looked at his numbers quickly and it looked like he was an average to above average player. I didn't realize he had won a Cy Young (which is nuts because I could probably tell you all of the Cy Young winners from the 80s and 90s by memory).

Thinking about this some more the physical violence of the Bauer allegations probably do hurt him more in the court of public opinion than Watson's allegations. I still think the two are closer to each other than different, but there are probably tons of people who don't think Watson did anything really wrong but who probably draw the line at a man hitting a woman.
 
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Cellar-Door

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What incentive does the DA have to tank this, if there were a strong case against Watson? Isn't taking down high profile celebrities good for a DA's career?
There are a lot of factors.
1. These cases can be tough, may not want a loss.
2. Unpredictable, especially with athletes whether it is good for your career, it's dangerous.
3. Public win might not be as valuable as $$ from donors who would rather not.

The biggest thing is... football does weird things to people's brains, in a lot of places, particularly Texas, it's not at all clear that taking a sexual assault case against a popular star player to trial is good for a DA. My guess is the DA didn't really want to try a case that was sexual assault but not clear cut forcible "rape" in a way that jurors might think of violent rapes, with a number of different levels of accusation. If it were just a rando... maybe more likely, but high profile where you're going to get a lot of attention, and a lot of hate... just take a look at the shit people sent every reporter who reported on this at any point. You get 2 of those dirtbags on a jury you're toast, it's one reason sexual assault investigations so rarely lead to convictions.
 

Preacher

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There are a lot of factors.
1. These cases can be tough, may not want a loss.
2. Unpredictable, especially with athletes whether it is good for your career, it's dangerous.
3. Public win might not be as valuable as $$ from donors who would rather not.

The biggest thing is... football does weird things to people's brains, in a lot of places, particularly Texas, it's not at all clear that taking a sexual assault case against a popular star player to trial is good for a DA. My guess is the DA didn't really want to try a case that was sexual assault but not clear cut forcible "rape" in a way that jurors might think of violent rapes, with a number of different levels of accusation. If it were just a rando... maybe more likely, but high profile where you're going to get a lot of attention, and a lot of hate... just take a look at the shit people sent every reporter who reported on this at any point. You get 2 of those dirtbags on a jury you're toast, it's one reason sexual assault investigations so rarely lead to convictions.
Yeah, you tank the GJ because you think the case isn’t very strong. And you can fall back on, hey, we tried! We believed the victims! So, you don’t end up losing a weak case that gets national media attention and you look like you still tried to get justice for the victims. Win, win.

I agree, these cases are tough but setting up grand jury as a scape goat is a shitty way to administer justice, understanding it happens routinely.
 

j-man

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my 02 he will get traded

my guess is car or tb dark horse pitt why not Det they want a rookie and ownship is old school why not NO too much cap hell why not LVR because their owner loves carr why pitt i doubt they want to give up 2 ones but ... if they couild get watson to play on his deal for 22 because in 23 have the 2nd most cap room behind lv why not cle stuck with mayfield for 1 more year

tb wants jimmy g

but is hou ok with car bad draft capital in 22 only 1 pick in first 3 rounds

if pitt is ok giveing up the next 2 ones he will go there tomin wants a guy like watson but the pitt fans will just brush it off like they did with ben
 

snowmanny

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I don’t know if TB will get Watson but I am reasonably sure Kyle Trask is not going to be their starter.