The NFL desperately wants this story to go away.
But there is no such luck on that front.
And a star NFL quarterback may be forced to sit out multiple seasons after being accused of this sex crime.
Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson began the offseason demanding a trade.
As NFL training camp nears, it’s quite possible Watson doesn’t play this season at all.
Or next season.
That’s because Watson is facing over 20 women suing him for alleged sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Fox Sports Radio host Ben Maller believes this will leave Watson on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which means he can’t play until his legal matters play out.
If a civil court finds Watson guilty, the NFL will be forced to suspend him.
And Maller claims this will force the NFL to suspend Watson until 2023.
“If you look at the timeline on this, barring a drastic sea change, Deshaun Watson will not be playing in an NFL game until at the very minimum 2023. That’s the earliest. If everything plays out the way it’s playing out, he’s going to be done until at least 2023. How did I get to that point? He’s going to be put on the Commissioner’s Exempt List – that’s going to happen likely in the next month before training camp opens up. The NFL does not give out time served. Which means when the trial happens, if Deshaun Watson is found guilty in the civil court — and remember the standards is much lower in civil court than criminal court — then the NFL has to come back and say, ‘well, bad news, we’ve got to punish him,’” Maller stated.
Before the allegations dropped, the Texans were looking at trading Watson – who recently signed a new multi-year contract – for multiple first round picks in an effort to jump start their rebuild.
But now Watson is radioactive and he looks to have much bigger problems than a disagreement with the Texans’ front office.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
