On Monday September 9th,2024, after a disappointing season opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys, a civil lawsuit was filed against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson alleging sexual assault and battery. The lawsuit was filed in Houston Texas and the alleged incident happened in October of 2020. In Texas the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits involving sexual assault is 5 years. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio broke the story and here is his article.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/deshaun-watson-is-sued-for-sexual-assault-and-battrey

As I write this article Deshaun Watson’s attorney, the Cleveland Browns, and the NFL have yet to comment on the recent lawsuit. This is a serious allegation and for everyone following this story we must consider the facts that we know at this time.

First this lawsuit is a civil lawsuit and not a criminal case, and that means the burden of proof is not as high in a criminal court. The previous allegations with the massage appointments alleged sexual misconduct, this lawsuit alleges sexual assault and battery. That is a more serious allegation. Second, this incident was alleged to have happened 4 years ago. And based on what I know now as I write this article, this allegation is going to be hard to prove or disprove. It is essentially the accuser’s word against Deshaun Watson’s. This is unless more concrete evidence comes to light that I am not aware of at this time. Finally, if the NFL was unaware of this allegation in 2022 when Watson was suspended, this could get him suspended again if the allegation is deemed credible by the league. What would that mean for Watson and the Browns?

There is specific language in Watson’s contract that would void his guaranteed money from the Browns if he were suspended again with a new allegation. And how that would affect the salary cap for the Browns is illustrated by Jack Duffin in the Orange and Brown report article here:

https://247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-browns/longformarticle/if-deshaun-watson-is-suspended-what-happens-to-his-cleveland-browns-contract-236002675/

So essentially the cap hit for 2024 is already set with the restructure this year. If Watson gets suspended again and the Browns void his contract? The cap hit will be for 2025 and for almost $81 million if they cut him immediately. They would most likely wait until after June 1st of 2025 to release him to prorate the cap hit for 2025 at close to $27 million and 2026 for close to $54 million.

A lot of this will depend on if this allegation is new to the NFL and if it is credible enough to suspend Watson. And everyone is still waiting for the legal process to be completed. Until then we must wait and hope that the truth is discovered, and the right thing happens based on the truth. And the right thing for the Browns might be to cut their losses and move on from this situation and constant distraction.