Longtime Texans reporter Aaron Wilson is taking responsibility for his dismissal from the Houston Chronicle in the wake of his job-costing defense of Deshaun Watson on “The Greg Hill Show.”
In a statement issued Saturday, Wilson said he didn’t adhere to his own journalistic standards when he vehemently defended Watson, who’s been accused of sexual misconduct by 22 women. The Chronicle addressed Wilson’s departure Friday at an all-staff meeting, reports Diana Moskovitz and Kayln Kahler of The Defector.
“I made a mistake that I fully understand and own when I did not choose my words nearly carefully enough during a discussion on a March 19 radio program regarding the sensitive, complex and controversial Deshaun Watson legal situation,” Wilson tweeted. “My efforts to convey perspectives on the situation clearly demonstrated an unintentional lack of sensitivity to the serious nature of these types of allegations and I sincerely apologize for my remarks.”
On WEEI last month, Wilson casted doubt on the motivates of Watson’s accusers, personally attacking them in the process. He called the lawsuits a “money grab” and compared the women to “terrorists.”
Though Wilson seemed to be conveying the feelings of Watson’s camp, he wasn’t clear about where his reporting ended and personal commentary began. At one point in the interview, host Gary Tanguay asked Wilson if he’s “pro-Watson.”
In addition, Wilson failed to clear his radio appearance with the Chronicle beforehand, according to The Defector.
“You don’t negotiate with terrorists,” Wilson said. “You know, people are demanding money, they’re asking for money. It kept going up and up and up. And you start talking about more and more funds, I’m not gonna say how much it got to. But my understanding is, you know, that there was an admission that, it was, you know, something, you know, just that this was, you know, just a money grab.”
While the lines between reporter and pundit are indefinitely blurred, Wilson’s flippant character assassinations of women accusing a star NFL quarterback of sexual misconduct were woefully unprofessional, as he acknowledged. His firing reflects the sensitivity of the subject matter.
The 22 women all tell similar stories: Watson hired them for personal services, and then proceeded to either sexually harass or assault them. Last week, Ashley Solis, who was the first massage therapist to sue Watson, publicly disclosed her identity. (A judge has ordered 13 of the accusers to identity themselves.)
On Friday, Watson’s attorney acknowledged his client engaged in sexual encounters with some massage therapists, but said they were consensual. All of the alleged incidents occurred between March 2020 and March 2021.
Wilson has a long track record of covering the NFL, starting out as a Ravens beat writer in 2001. But one bad interview can cancel out 20 years of work.
