Deshaun Watson is practicing with the Browns at voluntary offseason workouts, even as questions hang over his immediate NFL future thanks to 23 — soon to be 24 — civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct. Cleveland has publicly defended its new quarterback’s character, citing its own investigations, and now one of its best players, pass rusher Myles Garrett, has chimed in as well. Addressing reporters after Wednesday’s practice, Garrett admitted he doesn’t know the truth behind the Watson allegations but said the QB has been “special” on the field and a “good guy” in the locker room so far.
“I don’t know what happened,” Garrett said of Watson’s legal situation, per the Akron Beacon Journal. “You don’t know what happened. No one in this room really knows what happened, other than the people that were involved. I can’t move one way or the other based on hearsay, so I just have to move with the character of the man that I know from day to day, and it’s a good guy from what I’ve seen, from what I’ve played against and from what I’ve seen in the building.
“It’s not every day that you grab your whole offense and take them to the Bahamas,” Garrett continued, referencing the QB recently paying for a trip with teammates, “and … you’re respectful to the coaches. From what I’ve seen, he’s walked the right way, and whether he’s had a slip-up or not, I’m not the judge, I’m not the jury or the executioner. I’m here to play a game and whether we agree or disagree with who he is off the field, that’s yet to be seen. But as far as the guy I know on the field, he’s special.”
Watson, who was inactive for the entire 2021 season while facing his lawsuits, has yet to be disciplined by the NFL for his alleged serial abuse of private massage therapists. But it’s widely expected he will be suspended for at least part of the 2022 season. The QB has denied any wrongdoing, claiming through his attorney that select massage appointments ended in consensual activity.
