"I hold the NFL more accountable" - Stephen A. Smith criticizes the league for giving Deshaun Watson an opportunity

Deshaun Watson was a hot commodity during free agency this offseason. The former Houston Texans made it clear in 2020 that he no longer wanted to be on the team and sat out all last season. As all this went on, allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced, and Watson has now been accused by 23 different women.

The Cleveland Browns ultimately signed the troubled quarterback to a massive deal and were immediately criticized by fans. Now that it appears more and more likely Watson will miss much, if not all, of the 2022 season, analysts are weighing in on the situation. The always outspoken Stephen A. Smith had this to say on "First Take":

"But there's another side to it. The other side to it is that he vehemently proclaims his innocence is hard to imagine and associates the word 'innocence' with somebody that has 23 different allegations, or 23 different people making an allegation against them. All right, but he says he's innocent."

Smith went on to say,

"And so we'll let the courts [decide] in this particular case. We'll go from there. Here's what I would tell you. At the end of the day, and this is where I was listening to you talk about this a couple of weeks ago, Dougie, here's where you and I respectfully disagree. I think you hold the Browns more accountable. I hold the NFL more accountable."

Yes, Watson’s claim of innocence seems ridiculous with the high number of accusers, but a defendant is innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around. As the NFL continues its own investigation, no decision will be made on Watson’s possible punishment until all information is gathered.

Deshaun Watson was a much sought-after quarterback in the offseason despite his legal issues

Still, as a news story that has been running parallel to this one, Colin Kaepernick has seen his NFL career derailed over his pregame practice of taking a knee to protest racial injustice in the U.S. When the two cases are compared, the message sent by the NFL seems to be a tolerance for sexual misconduct and an intolerance for peaceful protest.

Even if a punishment is handed to Watson by the league, it will most likely be no more than a season-long suspension. Meanwhile, Kaepernick has been shunned by the league for six years and is still trying to find a way back in.