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Deshaun Watson seems to have lost the public's confidence in his innocence due to the words of his attorney and his growing list of accusers and lawsuits.
Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, shot his client in the foot when he said that the Browns quarterback didn't commit an illegal act by asking for a 'happy ending' with the masseuses he allegedly harassed.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes that the New York Times' recent report reveals that the number of accusers and the timeline the quarterback is claiming doesn't add up.
Here's what he said:
“Yesterday afternoon the New York Times posted a report regarding Deshaun Watson's situation. Several interesting angles there, there's the headline that we first gleaned from it."
He continued:
"Evidence developed by Jenny Vrentas of The Times based upon reviewing evidence from the cases and moving forward and other sources show at least 66 Women providing him with massage services privately over the past 17 months now, remember, the allegation was made in lawsuit number 24 that he's had more than 100 random strangers on Instagram, providing massages."
Florio examined the numbers provided by Hardin and his people:
"I've asked rusty Hardin's office to comment specifically on whether or not they agree with that statement. They have not yet given me a definitive response. But according to Vrentas, it's 66. We thought before this week, it was 40. And again, it's at least 66. She's identified 66 over a 17 month period. And remember early on, Rusty Harden's explanation was that the pandemic disrupted Deshaun Watson's normal massage habits and availability."
Florio believes the COVID excuse is dead, based on the timeline he has surmised:
"He started this before the pandemic, right? This wasn't something that the light bulb went off, hey, I need my massages. The pandemic is restricting my usual access. So I'm gonna go get all these strangers on Instagram, to give me massage after massage after massage, the COVID excuse is dead.”
Deshaun Watson will likely be suspended by the league
At this point, the quarterback isn't likely to suit up for the Cleveland Browns come the start of the NFL season against the Carolina Panthers.
The NFL's hands are tied somewhat right now due to how bad his defense has been in this case. The consensus is that there will be a minimum suspension of four games for in 2022, though things could escalate as evidence is further revealed.
The NFL's investigation into the former Houston Texans star was drawing to a close, however, with two more cases filed, this will now take much longer. The general feeling is that the longer the suspension, the less likely Cleveland are to make the playoffs.
Ezekiel Elliot missed six games due to violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. His suspension stemmed from accusations of domestic violence on five occasions in 2016.
With the recent escalation of public outcry regarding Watson's behavior, the pressure is growing for the NFL to act. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do with the under-fire quarterback.
