Browns QB Deshaun Watson Won’t Be Suspended after Latest Allegation

The NFL doesn’t plan to place Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson on the commissioner’s exempt list in light of a new civil lawsuit stemming from a 2020 allegation, since there have been no criminal charges and the league’s review has just begun, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

“We are reviewing the complaint and we will look into the matter under the Personal Conduct Policy,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement.

Watson faces a new lawsuit for sexual assault and battery. It was filed on Monday by a woman in Houston who claims Watson sexually assaulted her during a date in October of 2020. The league suspended Watson 11 games in 2022 for violating the Personal Conduct Policy.

Deshaun Watson settled 23 of 24 lawsuits against him in 2022 after two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment during massage therapy sessions.

Watson went to the woman’s apartment and unexpectedly disrobed, according to the latest lawsuit. He got on her bed and demanded a massage.

“While Jane Doe stood there in shock, Watson turned his head and aggressively insisted that she massage him, gesturing to his buttocks,” the filing said, via cleveland.com. “Jane Doe asked if Watson meant he wanted her to massage his back, but Watson indicated that it was his buttocks he wanted massaged.

“Jane Doe was at this point in the encounter terrified.”

Watson became upset with the weak massage, and he sexually assaulted the woman, the filing states.

The filing comes a day after the Browns’ 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at home. The final score wasn’t a true indication of how bad Cleveland played. At one point in the game, 50 percent of the Browns’ plays went for zero or negative yards.

Watson had an abysmal performance, completing 24 of 45 passes (53.3%) for 169 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 51.1. He also was sacked six times. Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons had a sack and a whopping five quarterback hits.

The Browns could potentially get out of Watson’s $230 million guaranteed contract with the latest lawsuit, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Browns could void the remaining guarantees in his contract if Watson didn’t tell the Browns about this allegation. When he signed his deal, Watson had to give the team a list of all his accusations in writing. The Browns can’t punish Watson if he listed the allegation.

The Browns could also void the remaining guarantees in Watson’s contract if the league suspends him for the new accusation.