Browns need Deshaun Watson exit strategy fast. And why on earth are they letting him play?

CLEVELAND — The number of women who have accused Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct in legal proceedings has now risen to 27.

The number of games he’s started for the Cleveland Browns since they signed him — and guaranteed him $230 million — is 13.

We’re barely into the third year of Watson’s five-year contract, and the trade has been a disaster. Even by Browns standards, it makes drafting Johnny Manziel seem like a wise investment.

I write that with a sense of shame and responsibility. I understood why the Browns pursued him. They had a roster that was primed to win and a quarterback who was good but not great. They were in a tight spot with some of their best players in their prime and they were trying to improve quickly at the most important position. Watson’s performance as a member of the Houston Texans certainly seemed like an improvement over Baker Mayfield.

But this week, another woman has come forward with even more heinous allegations against Watson.

The Browns need an exit strategy.

And they have to let him sit until they get one.

Watson has maintained his innocence through it all, and he did so again Wednesday, both publicly and in a statement released by his attorney, Rusty Hardin. He insists he did nothing wrong — even as he wrote settlement checks for more than 20 of the cases against him.

Statement from Deshaun Watson’s attorney. photo.twitter.com/eWlqsZ6QGI

— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) September 11, 2024

This latest accusation seemed to surprise everyone in the Browns. Despite the fact that the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, wrote in a statement that Watson’s defense team known about this case during the last 10 monthsWatson said Wednesday he knew nothing about it until it was reported in the media.

Both Deshaun Watson and Kevin Stefanski said they were unaware of the new allegations against Watson before the civil lawsuit was filed Monday.

— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) September 11, 2024

Coach Kevin Stefanski, who normally doesn’t even reveal the color of his game hoodie, said he was unaware of the case until this week. If the organization can prove that Watson knew about the potential allegation before signing the contract and failed to report it to the team, they may have a way out of this mess.

If so, they better take it with them.

The vast majority of professional athletes never face an accusation of sexual misconduct, let alone 27. Watson has no good explanation for why new allegations continue to surface.

“I’m in the same boat as you, boss,” he said.

It’s all apparently a big conspiracy against him involving 27 women, their lawyer, the NFL, and a retired U.S. District Judge. Remember, Judge Sue L. Robinson had already determined that the NFL had met its burden of proof in the four cases brought before her in 2022. That ultimately led to Watson’s 11-game suspension two years ago.

If it is true that Watson is innocent and has done nothing wrong, why didn’t he file a countersuit for defamation against one of the women before settling? Will he sue this woman?

The NFL will reexamine the credibility of these new allegations. The latest woman, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, is the first to accuse Watson of having sex with her against her will while the two were in her apartment in October 2020. The bulk of the allegations against Watson previously involved his behavior during massages. This one is very different.

“Watson grabbed Jane Doe’s leg and positioned her so she was lying down,” the complaint states. “Watson then partially undressed Jane Doe and penetrated her vagina without consent, implied or explicit.”

Yet Stefanski said Watson will start this week against the Jaguars, and the Browns appear to have no plans to bench him. How can they continue to use him as the face of the franchise when there is some uncertainty about the veracity of those claims? The Texans sat Watson for the entire 2021 season while they worked through his trade request and a series of sexual misconduct allegations. The Browns show no inclination to do the same. Stefanski stated within hours of the court filing that Watson will start Sunday.

Before trading him, the Browns said they had done “due diligence” on the cases against Watson. How much due diligence have they done this week?

“Deshaun, did you do it?”

“No.”

“Cool. Put on your suit.”

No one inside the building has an answer about the credibility of the case, as Stefanski has admitted he had no prior knowledge of the case before this week.

Apparently the Browns are just taking Watson at his word. It’s an incredible amount of blind faith to have in someone who has now been sued 27 times.

The Browns should be looking for a way out. They’ve already paid Watson over $130 million in cash, but only about $60 million of that is factored into their salary cap. They have $170 million left on the spreadsheet.

The quarterback position requires a great deal of trust, both on and off the field. I asked Watson why Browns fans and the organization should trust and believe him, given the mountain of allegations against him over the years.

“I can’t speak for the fans, I can’t speak for anybody outside of this building,” he said. “But I know that listening to the Haslams and AB (Browns GM Andrew Berry) and those guys, I know that they tell me every day that they support me, they support me and they want me to focus on being the best quarterback that I can be. So that’s all I can do, just speak my truth, tell them the truth. They’ve spoken to my legal team and everybody that’s been a part of this whole process. And they have to make their decision, and that decision was to give me the opportunity to be their franchise quarterback and help this team win.”

Deshaun Watson speaks to the media before practice

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 11, 2024

Watson has done little to earn that much trust from anyone in the organization. But let’s be clear: the decision to let him play amid new allegations goes far beyond the head coach and even the general manager. This is an ownership decision to keep him there. This is Jimmy and Dee Haslam’s fault.

His performance on the field could force them into an uncomfortable decision, regardless of the contract. He was mediocre last year until a rare shoulder injury ended his season in November. This year, he’s had a terrible training camp. He was a disaster in Sunday’s loss to Dallas, holding the ball too long and throwing passes 7 yards out of bounds. He’s rarely looked like the Houston quarterback the Browns thought they were getting.

The Browns have a roster that can make a deep playoff run and a quarterback who can’t stop getting sued. Whatever boat Watson thinks he’s on is sinking. Fast. The Browns don’t need him or his boat. They need a life preserver.

(Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)