Browns' Deshaun Watson May Have To Re-Testify In Outstanding Sexual Misconduct Case
While Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson already served an 11-game suspension for allegations of sexual misconduct from over two dozen women in 2022, he could be exposed to further discipline depending on the outcome of one outstanding case against him.
According to the Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today, Watson is being compelled to participate in another in-person deposition before Aug. 1. The report indicates this case comes from the last of the 26 women who accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.
As Schrotenboer writes, Watson was already deposed in this case in Houston last summer, but that "the woman’s attorney ended it after two hours and 14 minutes because Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, improperly instructed Watson not to answer certain questions about other cases."
Lawyers instructing their clients to avoid answering certain questions during sworn depositions is not abnormal, but can result in the situation Watson now faces – being summoned to testify again.
Of the 26 accusations made against Watson, he reached sealed settlements to close 23 of them. One of the three remaining cases was withdrawn by the plaintiff in 2021, while the other outstanding case, like the aforementioned one, is pending a trial date. The specific suit is the only one that was brought against Watson after he had settled the original 23.
As Pro Football Talk has continually reported, the NFL has not ruled out punishing Watson beyond the 11-game suspension he was handed ahead of the 2022 campaign, if further evidence emerges incriminating Cleveland's signal caller in the remaining cases - or if either garners a guilty verdict against Watson.
