With police still investigating Deshaun Watson for alleged sexual misconduct toward multiple massage therapists (he's also facing civil suits from at least 22 accusers), the Texans quarterback has yet to be suspended, continuing to attend training camp and even practice with the team ahead of the 2021 regular season, which kicks off in under three weeks. Many are surprised the NFL hasn't intervened by placing Watson on the commissioner's exempt list, as they've done in the past with players facing similar off-field headaches including Antonio Brown, Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson.
However, as noted by Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, there's an important distinction to be made between those cases and the circumstances surrounding Watson. Brown was never probed by police in his 2019 sexual assault scandal, allowing the NFL to conduct its own investigation without risk of interfering with local or federal authorities. Because Watson has yet to be charged with any crime, the NFL seems content to wait it out, withholding judgment until Houston and Harris County police wrap their investigations. Despite the poor optics it would create, according to Robinson, there's a very real chance of Watson playing the entire 2021 season without being suspended or placed on the exempt list, with the latter equating to paid leave (similar to the limbo Trevor Bauer now finds himself in with Major League Baseball).
Determining whether Watson violated the league's code of conduct would require, at minimum, a sit-down with the NFL. However, it appears local law enforcement could prevent that from happening in the near future. "Interviewing [Watson] now could require revealing details of what his accusers have told league investigators," writes Robinson. "And if league investigators give Watson pieces of additional information that he can't get elsewhere, it could end up corrupting the work of other law enforcement arms that intend to use that same information to make a criminal determination."
Robinson's interpretation falls in line with remarks made by Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, who says prosecutors don't want the NFL "mucking in their case. "The NFL investigators are former prosecutors," explained Hardin. "They understand that process. So in due time, we will be interfacing with the NFL, but not yet." The NFL has reportedly met with several of Watson's accusers including two who came away frustrated with the experience, calling out league investigators for employing tactics perceived as "victim blaming."
The prospect of an alleged sexual predator taking the field this season without facing any form of league discipline is a PR nightmare. But without access to Watson, that might be precisely what happens. Let's also not forget that before any of these troubling allegations came to light, Watson had requested a trade, furious that the Texans didn't consult him before hiring GM Nick Caserio and coach David Culley this offseason. The Texans are no doubt a better football team with Watson in the huddle, but at this point, is it worth the drama?
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