Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson settles recent sexual harassment lawsuit

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has once again avoided legal trouble by settling the latest sexual assault lawsuit filed against him last month in Houston, Texas.

In an initial indictment four weeks ago, the defendant was accused of sexual assault and bodily harm. Tony Buzbee, who represents the accuser, told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that the new lawsuit has been resolved, adding that the settlement between the two parties is confidential. The accuser reportedly sought $1 million in damages.

The presence of a confidentiality clause means that the plaintiff is unlikely to meet with the NFL as part of the investigation into the matter. Without the cooperation of the accuser and a personal conduct policy, Watson is also unlikely to be suspended.

Without an investigation ending in a suspension, any talk of the Browns possibly opting out of the remaining two years of Watson’s fully guaranteed, $230 million deal will be quashed. According to those with detailed information on the 28-year-old’s contract, Cleveland could have used this exit strategy only if Watson had been suspended for all cases filed against him that were not communicated to the team in writing at the time of signing the contract.

In 2022 – his first season with Cleveland – Watson served an 11-game suspension for violating the code of conduct. The punishment came after Watson was accused of sexual misconduct in two dozen civil lawsuits. Most of these cases were settled before the stay, but two are still pending.

This latest allegation that Watson assaulted and forced himself on a woman before a date had nothing to do with the original files that led to Watson being reprimanded by the league two years ago. The NFL previously determined that Watson would not be penalized for future filings that were similar in nature to the original incidents or occurred around the same time.

However, the details of this particular allegation were so different that an investigation was launched. Watson has vehemently denied the recent lawsuit against him.