Twenty-two prosecutors. No, this just, do this 23. Wait, it’s 24 now.
Should the NFL stop Deshon Watson, the quarterback who received a $ 230 million deal from the Cleveland Browns despite being accused of harassing and assaulting a growing list of female masseurs?
Of course, the league can do that, and given the many accusations, it won’t be surprising if it does. But should I?
If you go to Brown’s bulletin board, turn on Twitter, or just talk to some women, many people say that Watson, a former Houston Texas defender, should never throw a pass to the NFL again.
According to them, the elimination for a certain number of matches next season is not enough. Not one season or even two are excluded. If America’s most popular sports league is to keep its promise to stand behind women and victims of violence, Watson must be banned.
Watson “should not play in the league at all,” said Brenda Tracy, a well-known victim advocate who travels the country advising college and professional athletes to counter harassment and abuse. “It’s ridiculous. I don’t understand how long these leagues will go to protect these men. He has to go. ”
Of course, such a move would be unprecedented. Watson vigorously declares his innocence, especially now that two grand juries in Texas have decided not to pursue criminal charges – although this is not uncommon for women to file allegations of sexual harassment.
If banned, he will certainly push the league to recover. He can even judge. Let him try.
A signal would be sent: The NFL no longer wants to put games, duties and money ahead of absolutely everything.
I write this with a worried stomach. I’m still learning about the latest revelations about Watson, discovered by Jenny Vrentas of The New York Times, whose reports this week showed that the 26-year-old quarterback was involved in more suspicious behavior than anyone imagined.
We now know that Watson has hired at least 66 female masseurs for 17 months, from the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2021. Among them were strangers he tracked on Instagram and women who worked at a spa on the side on the highway.
Realizing that their bodies are their life force, top NFL players usually find no more than a few experts to do massages to loosen the limbs.
Having 66 masseurs is not a crime, but it is actually a galaxy far from the norm.
Of the 66, some spoke in favor of Watson, saying publicly that he had done nothing wrong. But last week, two other women sued in civil court, bringing the number of current prosecutors to 24. Some women who massaged Watson did not call a lawyer or police afterwards, but they even told The Times that Watson seemed to be looking. more than pain relief. Pure figures are dizzying, and images of Watson’s aggression and rights are chilling.
The woman who filed the latest lawsuit claims that Watson masturbated during a massage that ended in a way that satisfied and humiliated her.
A woman who chose not to sue or complain to police told Vrentas that Watson had repeatedly asked for sexual intercourse during the massage, including “asking” her to put her mouth on his penis.
“I especially had to say, ‘No, I can’t do that,'” the woman said.
Watson and his well-connected legal team have consistently denied any wrongdoing. They admit that sex has happened three times, but only after the massages and always at the initiative of women. “I understand the seriousness of the allegations,” Watson told a news conference in March. “I have never attacked a single woman. I have never neglected any woman. “
His innocence was boosted when the Browns, once a proud team that is now so desperate to win the championship that it has lost all dignity, gave it a better deal than those of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson: $ 230 million , every penny according to the messages guaranteed.
Meanwhile, NFL investigators are investigating the allegations and Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to decide soon on Watson’s possible sentence. The story is not encouraging.
In 2014, Goodell, under pressure after the publication of video evidence, admitted that he had treated Ray Rice’s domestic violence case incorrectly and promised to do better. But what has changed besides empty promises and marketing campaigns aimed at courting fans?
Find out the latest controversies of the NFL
Map 1 of 8
Wave of inspection. America’s most popular sports league faces criticism and legal issues on several fronts, ranging from discrimination to injuring athletes. Here’s a look at some of the recent controversy facing the NFL, its leaders and teams:
Charges of potential fraud. A former head of the Washington Commanders team claims that the team withdrew revenue from ticket sales to be shared with the rest of the NFL and withheld bail deposits from fans. The franchise sent 102 pages of documents refuting the allegations to the Federal Trade Commission.
Allegations of sexual harassment. Daniel Snyder, the owner of Commanders, is under investigation by the NFL after he was accused of sexual harassment by former employees. In July, the league fined the franchise $ 10 million after investigating allegations of harassment at the team’s front office.
Demoralizing culture for women. Following the Ray Rice scandal in 2014, the NFL stepped up its efforts to hire and promote women. But more than 30 former employees interviewed by The Times described a stifling corporate culture that makes many women feel rejected. Six chief prosecutors have warned the league to tackle problems or face an investigation.
In 2018, Kariam Hunt of Kansas City, then one of the most promising running backs in football, was filmed videotaping a woman hitting the ground and kicking her. The NFL stopped Hunt for eight games, although the woman did not file charges. Guess who Hunt signed after Kansas City sent him to pack.
The Cleveland Browns did it. It is clear that the half-season stops do not send a real message.
It’s hard to see how anyone can take the NFL seriously when they say they care about women and the behavior of everyone in the league. Not after his meek answers to Rice and Hunt. Not after that, Antonio Brown played for Tampa Bay and participated in the Super Bowl in 2021, as he faced charges of sexual harassment and a lawsuit accusing him of rape. Not when the league fails to properly punish Washington commanders, a team full of complaints of harassment that even caught team owner Daniel Snyder.
The league must send the strongest possible message that sexual abuse will not be tolerated.
I know that expulsion may sound to some like a radical, overly severe punishment. Many NFL fans say Watson should not be punished at all. Innocent until proven guilty, say those apologists, part of a club that cares more about bread and circus entertainment than doing the right thing.
But the NFL can do whatever it wants.
Imagine that Watson runs a car dealership. Imagine that his bosses realized that he was facing 24 civil cases accused of sexual misconduct. How long will there be work?
Imagine that Watson was an NFL coach who few had heard of. Will he get a second chance from the teams and the league? No. The journeymen do not get a second chance. It’s different with the stars (unless you’re a star who kneels during the national anthem and leads the protest against police violence against blacks).
If you really want to imagine something, imagine that you are a masseur who has trusted a rich, famous client that you have never met, and in the end is so hurt and humiliated that you leave work forever, as one of Watson’s prosecutors. Maybe that’s all you have to imagine.
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