Embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson served an 11-game suspension last season and paid a $5 million fine, but his legal woes are not behind him.
Watson, who signed a record-setting five-year, $230 million fully-guaranteed contract last offseason with the Cleveland Browns, is expected to return to a Houston courtroom next week. The deal represented the highest guaranteed money an NFL player has ever received, which has had a ripple effect across the league.
Watson reached out-of-court settlements with 24 out of 25 of his accusers for undisclosed amounts.
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Quarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns speaks during his press conference introducing him as a Cleveland Brown at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus March 25, 2022, in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Watson will now have to appear in Harris County District Court in Houston April 10 to provide an oral deposition about the most recent case filed against him.
In a motion filed by attorney Anissa Nguyen, Watson is asked to provide records of communication between him and the plaintiff.
The motion seeks “Cell phone records reflecting all telephone calls Defendant made to Plaintiff in December 2020 and January 2021, and Cell phone records reflecting all text messages Defendant sent to Plaintiff in December 2020 and January 2021.”
Watson will also be required to produce correspondence between him and a third party from December 2020 to December 2021 “regarding or relating to Defendant’s meeting with the Plaintiff” on Dec. 18, 2020 at the Houstonian, a hotel club and spa where the massage session in question allegedly occurred.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson looks to throw a pass during a practice at the team’s training facility Nov. 16, 2022, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Watson and his representatives have consistently denied any wrongdoing since his arrival in Cleveland.
However, before a Browns preseason game in August, Watson offered a public apology.
“I want to say that I’m truly sorry to all of the women that I have impacted in this situation,” he said, via ESPN.
“The decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position I would definitely like to have back, but I want to continue to move forward and grow and learn and show that I am a true person of character, and I am going to keep pushing forward.”
Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns throws a pass during Cleveland Browns training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus July 30, 2022, in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Two grand juries previously declined to indict Watson on any criminal charges.
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In addition to Watson’s suspension and fine, he underwent an NFL-imposed treatment program.
Browns co-owner Dee Haslam answered questions about how Watson progressed in the program.
“I don’t talk to his counselor because that’s pretty private information,” Haslam told reporters. “But he’s diligent about the work he’s doing. I know counseling works. My daughter’s a family counselor, and she can tell you that it works. I feel confident he’s in good hands, and I know he’s working hard.”
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