Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will not face fines or a suspension and did not violate the NFL personal conduct policy for recent sexual assault allegations, an NFL spokesman announced Friday.
“The matter is closed,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press. “There was insufficient evidence to support a finding of a violation of the personal conduct policy.”
Watson has been accused by 22 women, many of them who worked as masseuses, of sexual misconduct since the first accuser came forward in March 2021. The NFL’s current investigation concerned a woman who filed a lawsuit in September 2024 against the quarterback for sexual assault and battery that she says occurred in Houston, Texas, in 2020.
Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, told the Washington Post, “We are delighted to put this issue behind us so that Deshaun can concentrate on recovering from his injury and preparing for next season.”
The lawyer who represented the woman, Houston attorney Anthony Buzbee, told the Post that Watson settled with his client in October and that they “have nothing else to say about it.”
The NFL said they attempted to contact the accuseree previously had said his client “would meet with NFL representatives about the case” but were ot successful, according to the Post.
Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear during Game 7 on October 20. Browns’ fans booed the starting quarterback as he was being carted off the field following his injury, which upset teammate Myles Garrett, who responded:
We don’t boo guys that are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out. We should be ashamed of ourselves, as Browns and as fans, to boo anyone in their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury, the man’s not perfect, he doesn’t need to be. None of us expect to be perfect.
“Can’t judge [Watson] for what he does on the field or off the field because I can’t throw stones from my glass house, but we need to do better,” Garrett concluded.
Deshaun Watson was in tears as he was carted off the field. pic.twitter.com/hgzpq7QPZq https://t.co/jXW19a3TzK
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 20, 2024
