All But Four Lawsuits Against Deshaun Watson Reach Settlement Agreement

Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing the over two dozen women suing Browns QB Deshaun Watson for various degrees of sexual misconduct, says in a statement all but four cases have been settled, per Sarah Barshop.

Tony Buzbee announces in a statement that all but four of the civil lawsuits against #Browns QB Deshaun Watson have been settled pic.twitter.com/Ye3HoQi05h

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) June 21, 2022

Buzbee says the case of Ashley Solis, the first woman to come forward against Watson, has not been settled and he’s proceeding forward with that and three others through the legal system. 

This is a major development in Watson’s situation which has dragged on for well over a year and could prevent things from dragging along even further. 

Watson still faces potentially significant discipline from the NFL in the form of a suspension, however. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said, “Today’s development has no impact on the collectively bargained disciplinary process.”

Watson was officially cleared of criminal charges by grand juries in two different Texas counties. This opened the door for Watson to be traded and the Browns later reached an agreement to acquire him from the Texans. 

Watson has maintained his innocence throughout.

“Like I said, I never assaulted anyone or I never harassed anyone or I never disrespected anyone,” Watson said at Browns minicamp. “I never forced anyone to do anything.”

Watson, 26, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million with the Texans that included a fifth-year option around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.

The Texans signed Watson to a four-year deal worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. He was traded to the Browns for draft compensation. 

In 2020, Watson appeared in all 16 games for the Texans and completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 444 yards and three touchdowns.

We’ll have more on Watson as the news is available.