"Extremely irresponsible" - NFL fans blast Adam Schefter for 'poorly worded' Deshaun Watson tweet

NFL insider Adam Schefter apologized for Deshaun Watson's tweet
NFL insider Adam Schefter apologized for Deshaun Watson's tweet

ESPN's senior NFL insider Adam Schefter caught the ire of NFL fans for his tweet that seemingly implied Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was not guilty of sexual misconduct after a grand jury dismissed criminal charges against the star.

Schefter tweeted:

"This is why Deshaun Watson, from the beginning, welcomed a police investigation: He felt he knew that the truth would come out. And today, a grand jury did not charge him on any of the criminal complaints."

NFL fans lambast Adam Schefter for tweet about Deshaun Watson

The grand jury did not believe that the prosecution had enough evidence to press criminal charges against Watson and dismissed them. The 26-year-old quarterback will still face civil lawsuits stemming from sexual misconduct allegations from over two dozen women.

The line "He (Watson) felt he knew that the truth would come out" in Schefter's implied that the dismissal of the criminal charges absolved Watson and that the quarterback was innocent. Fans quickly pointed out how the ESPN insider's deduction was off the mark.

ProFootballTalk quoted Adam Schefter's tweet and replied:

Sports Illustrated's Sarah Kelly also quoted the tweet and replied that deductions like Schefter's are why women don't come forward with sexual misconduct allegations:

WARNING: NSFW language

YouTuber Jeff Cavanaugh accused Adam Schefter of being a mouthpiece for agents:

Twitter user Chester Birdbath called the tweet "extremely irresponsible":

The Athletic contributor Ben Baldwin gave the NFL insider sound advice in the replies:

Schefter apologized for the tweet, calling it poorly worded and explaining that he was reiterating Deshaun Watson's legal team's point of view. He wrote:

"This was a poorly worded tweet that deserves a proper response. It was intended to provide insight into the strategy of Watson’s legal team from its POV. I should have been clearer. As legal experts have explained, a lack of an indictment alone does not mean someone is innocent."

The apology didn't help, as the tweet had over 1,000 replies, most criticizing Schefter for the initial tweet.

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Edited by Jay Lokegaonkar