A lot of people expected Deshaun Watson to be all over the news throughout the first half of the NFL season.
Nonetheless, no one expected it to be for being involved in over 20 accusations of sexual misconduct.
Watson had let the Houston Texans know about his desire to be traded. His frustration with the team grew rapidly but the franchise was still reluctant to move him, which is why most analysts expected a long stand-off that could go all the way to the trade deadline.
Dolphins Trade Fell Apart
The Miami Dolphins were reportedly trying to reach a deal to acquire his services.
They were the only team that Watson had openly agreed to waive his no-trade clause for, but the Texans eventually backpedaled.
"We never got to a point where anything was going to be realistic in terms of happening," Dolphins GM Chris Grier told ESPN. "It was still us just doing our due diligence, just talking through things. We never got to a point where anything was that close to happening."
Legal Situation Taking Longer To Resolve
The Texans reportedly drove Watson’s price up as they came under the impression that a settlement with the 22 women who accused him was imminent.
And, even though he wasn’t likely to play a single snap this season, they could still have a full year to try and convince him to reconsider his stance and stay put with the team.
However, a report by ESPN states that Watson and his accusers are far from reaching any sort of agreement at this point.
Settlements Broke Down Over NDAs
According to attorney Tony Buzbee, the Watson camp’s push for NDAs caused the 22 women suing him to back out of the settlement:
"The attorney representing 22 women suing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson says settlement talks between the two sides broke down before the NFL’s trade deadline because of language Watson’s legal team insisted they include in nondisclosure agreements," read the report.
Buzbee modified the language of the proposed agreements but even after that, some of the women allegedly claimed that they’d never sign them.
What's Next For Watson?
If the women continue to pursue legal action, the earliest the cases could go to trial is in early May, with May 2, 2022, as the most likely date.
The Texans won’t be able to trade Watson until the end of the season but with all those questions about him, teams could be wary of pursuing him once again.
Also, he’s still expected to be disciplined by the NFL once the cases settle or the jury makes a decision, so chances are that we won’t see him play until 2023 at the earliest.
]]>The Inquisitr
