A Miami Marlins player ended up getting caught in the act after he was filmed trying to break into a woman’s home. The most interesting part of this story is how ‘disappointed’ other players are at their teammate, who has been suspended from baseball for two weeks and will likely lose his spot on the team soon.
Deshaun Watson, the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, has been accused of sexual assault and improper behavior during massages. Despite the fact that criminal charges have yet to be filed against the newly traded signal-caller, 22 civil claims have been filed.
Some people are irritated by the fact that the Cleveland Browns enthusiastically traded for the three-time Pro Bowler — and then handed him a big, suspension-proof contract. This includes CBS Sports NFL analyst Jason La Canfora, who slammed the troubled quarterback.
Deshaun Watson was implicitly sponsored by the Cleveland Browns.
Nick Cammett/Getty Images/Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson’s fate is tough to anticipate because of the NFL’s case-by-case sanctions, which seems to be at the discretion of Commissioner Roger Goodell.
The sexual assault claims against Ben Roethlisberger in 2009 and 2010 appear to be the closest parallel to what’s going on with Watson in 2022. Despite the fact that Big Ben was not charged in either incident, Goodell suspended him for the first six games of the 2010 season.
Regardless of what happens with Watson’s 22 civil lawsuits claiming sexual assault and improper behavior, Goodell will have to suspend him until evidence of a wide-ranging conspiracy against the Cleveland Browns quarterback emerges.
The difficulty is that any penalty will wreak havoc on the Browns while minimally affecting Watson’s bank account. That’s because Watson’s five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed deal with the Browns when they acquired him from the Houston Texans was designed to prevent him from being suspended.
Watson will earn a $44.9 million signing bonus in 2022, but just $1.03 million in basic pay. That means he’ll lose almost $57,500 every game during his ban. That’s a significant contrast from what would happen if he were suspended in 2023, when his basic compensation would be $46 million. These payouts average about $2.5 million each game.
The whole Watson scenario, as well as the Browns’ zealous backing for him, hasn’t gone down well with everyone. Jason La Canfora, a CBS Sports NFL analyst, seems to be one of those that has a problem with the quarterback.
Jason La Canfora weighed in on Watson as a “armchair Ziggy Freud.”
Deshaun Watson is a… not being victorious at the press conference This is a complete flop. This is something that the owner should be concerned about as well.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 25, 2022
Jason La Canfora easily acknowledges Deshaun Watson’s brilliance as a quarterback throughout his first five years (four seasons) in the NFL. However, the source claims that he is no longer a fan of the troubled quarterback off the field.
La Canfora used his metaphorical psychologist’s couch to provide his amateur diagnosis of what’s going on in Watson’s brain during a recent visit on The Tony Kornheiser Show. Needless to say, La Canfora is underwhelmed by what he believes he discovered:
Maybe I’m too much of an armchair Ziggy Freud. But I get a feeling this person — I’m not sure whether he wanted to be discovered or not. Something is seriously wrong with his wiring and decision-making abilities. I believe that going to such extent was a cry for assistance. On a subconscious way, I believe this person wanted to get caught. And I believe that now that he’s been discovered and exposed, he’ll be considered as an utter heel, having gone from being one of the league’s most famous players. Even in Cleveland, to some extent. Isn’t it true that someone as clean as Cal Ripken was ever thought of?… He seemed to be much too nice to be true. He was, as it turned out.
Deshaun Watson on Jason La Canfora
La Canfora went on to question rhetorically what the Watson incident would do to his thinking and confidence as a Browns player going ahead. He also expressed concern about how certain teammates may respond to someone accused of several (at best) improper contacts with women or (at worst) sexual assaults.
On many ways, the whole story stinks. While the human factor is by far the most significant part of the problem, there is also a football component to it.
On the field, the Browns might be in both short- and long-term jeopardy.
We’ve signed quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 25, 2022
Deshaun Watson’s big deal has just tied the Cleveland Browns to him for the next five years. The club will incur a nine-figure dead cap charge if the signal-caller is cut or traded in any of the following four seasons. It will only cost them $54.9 million in dead cap in 2026.
In a vacuum, the club also mortgaged its future for a franchise quarterback, which isn’t a bad idea. However, it came at a high cost in terms of draft capital. The Browns have to surrender the Texans their first-round selections in 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as their third-round pick in 2023 and fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2024.
Last but not least, the agreement may jeopardize the Browns’ 2022 season.
Baker Mayfield, the team’s current starting quarterback, and Jacoby Brissett, a recently signed free agent, are currently on the roster. The Browns are doing all they can to move Mayfield and keep him away from the media. That is, however, easier said than done.
Brissett will have to start if Watson is gone for a significant portion of the season. Although the former NC State quarterback isn’t horrible, he’s just 14-23 as a starter in the NFL. That’s not going to cut it in the stacked AFC in 2022.
How to seek help: To speak with a qualified staff member from a sexual assault treatment provider in your region, contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
If Teddy Bridgewater’s pricey handshake hadn’t happened, the Browns may not have needed Deshaun Watson.
