During his introductory news conference with the Browns, Deshaun Watson talked about what he hopes fans and the community see in him. (0:54)
Deshaun said that he has never disrespected women and that he was surprised by the allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct that have been made against him.
I know these allegations are serious, but I have never attacked a woman. I didn't disrespect any woman.
The Cleveland Browns introduced their new starting quarterback on Friday.
The most guaranteed money in a single contract in the history of the NFL was signed by the Houston Texans' Deshaun Watson when he was traded to the Cleveland Browns on March 18.
22 women have filed lawsuits against him, accusing him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct. According to Tony Buzbee, the attorney for the plaintiffs, the Browns never contacted him or spoke to any of his clients during their investigation, which the team called "extensive."
Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry said that legal counsel advised the team against contacting the women directly, out of concern that it would interfere with a criminal investigation.
The investigators that we hired were able to get a full perspective of all the cases.
The second grand jury in Texas declined to indict the man after considering an accusation of sexual misconduct. A grand jury in Harris County, where Houston is located, declined to indict Watson on criminal charges after a police investigation sparked by the lawsuits. There are allegations of touching women with his genitals. Eight of the women who sued were set to appear before the grand jury, but filed criminal complaints against him with Houston police.
The intent was not to settle any of the civil cases. The depositions are scheduled for next week.
I understand the situation is very difficult for the women's side of the fans in this community, but I'm not naive to that.
The things that are off the field caught me by surprise because I never did anything like that.
Jimmy and Dee Haslam, the owners of the Cleveland Browns, were not at the news conference but were going to hold a teleconference later in the day.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
