Deshaun Watson saga takes a weird turn
By Randy Gurzi
Deshaun Watson settled 23 of 24 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and now 10 of those defendants will attend his Cleveland Browns debut
When the Cleveland Browns traded for Deshaun Watson, they were aware of multiple sexual assault allegations that were still lingering over his head. They said they believed in him and stood by as he settled 23 of the 24 suits and then settled with the NFL on an 11-game suspension.
As fate would have it, the first game Watson is eligible to play in will take place this weekend and it will be in Houston against the Texans. Not only is this his former team but it’s where he was when the allegations were first brought forward by attorney Tony Buzbee.
Now with Watson set to return to the field, Buzbee made an unexpected announcement when he said he purchased a suite and will bring 10 women who made accusations against Watson to the game.
A number of women who filed lawsuits against #Browns Deshaun Watson plan to attend Sunday's game as he makes his return.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) November 29, 2022
Attorney Tony Buzbee said some clients asked to go because "They thought it important to make clear that they are still here and that they matter."
Buzbee makes the claim that the victims want the world to know they still matter. Even so, the news might not have gone over as well as he hoped.
What to make of this latest Deshaun Watson news
Most of the reactions on social media are calling out the behavior of Buzbee. Some are pointing to the fact that he filed a suit against the Texans claiming they were complicit in Watson’s actions and is now giving them money to make a public statement.
Others are going for the jugular, saying he’s doing more harm than good by “exploiting women” to gain more clout for himself.
tony buzbee pisses me off. exploiting women for his celeb lawyer clout does nothing but harm other women when they want to come forward about their abusers/sa.
— gabb goudy (@gabbgoudy) November 29, 2022
To call the decision from Buzbee unprecedented would be an understatement, but then again, most of what’s gone on with Watson and these accusations have fallen into that category.
It’s not fair to pass judgment on any of the women who are attending since we don’t know what it will take for them to heal. Even so, Buzbee’s actions are once again coming under fire especially since he was fine making the cases go away in a cash settlement but now wants to make sure the victims are seen.
