For the sake of his own livelihood, it could be in Deshaun Watson's best interest to pursue settlements in the 16 lawsuits filed against him alleging sexual assault and harassment.
While Watson's business manager and attorney claim at least one of the accusers tried to blackmail the Texans quarterback for $30,000 after a consensual sexual encounter, there are still 15 more cases.
The risk of allowing these cases to play out in court, through additional filings, possible depositions and alternate investigations with the police and NFL, cannot be good for Watson regardless of guilt or innocence.
With Watson's representatives acknowledging some kind of sexual encounter with at least one accuser, possibly more, it could have a boomerang effect from its intention to discredit the woman. Now, it's in play that Watson goes into massage therapy sessions with aims for something more, which is what the plaintiffs are accusing him of doing when they were allegedly assaulted and harassed.
ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio laid out why it is important to settle these cases as soon as possible when he joined In The Loop on Wednesday.
"Someone just needs to get to Deshaun and tell him you need to do the right thing here. You need to make amends with these individuals," Florio said. "You need to understand that the behavior you were engaged in -- in and of itself -- was not useful and productive for you. And there is a reckoning to be had. There is a price to be paid. And I think the sooner he understands that, and finds a way to resolve these claims, the sooner he can put it behind him.
"Otherwise, this is going to hover over him. It's going to threaten his assets. It's going to threaten his career. And it's potentially going to threaten his liberty."
Listen to the entire interview here: