CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Houston Texans were fined $175,000 and required to forfeit their fifth-round draft pick this year as a result of a salary cap violation involving Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The NFL made the announcement Thursday afternoon.
The discipline comes following an investigation that revealed Watson received “undisclosed compensation in the form of a membership at an alternative athletic facility in 2020” from the Texans according to the league.
The salary cap requirements in the collective bargaining agreement stipulates that clubs must report any and all compensation and benefits paid or given to players.
The Texans traded Watson to the Browns in March 2022 for six draft picks over three years, including three first-round selections, following accusations in civil court by over two dozen women that Watson was sexually inappropriate during massage therapy sessions with them.
Watson, who sat out the entire 2021 season following a trade request and settled two dozen of those lawsuits, served an 11-game suspension and paid a $5 million fine as a result of a league investigation into those allegations.