NFL free agency season turned into a freak show this week. Three teams lost their heads and entered into a bidding war for former Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson.
Why was it a freak show? Watson has epic zipper issues that have led to 22 civil suits against him for sexual misconduct. I’ll skip the sordid details.
Suffice it to say that Watson is the sleazebag’s sleazebag, the pervert’s pervert. He’s also a gifted young QB. Hence the bidding war once prosecutors did not press charges.
I was appalled when my team, the New Orleans Saints, entered the fray alongside the Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns:
The Saints pursuit of Deshaun Watson skeezes me out. He's facing 22 civil suits and probable suspension by the NFL. If Watson signs with us, Goodell throws the book at him.
— Shecky (@Adrastosno) March 17, 2022
The NFL commissioner is notorious for his dislike of the Saints. If the Saints had been foolish enough to spend a fortune in cash and draft choices to obtain Watson, Goodell would have gladly brought the hammer down on them like Maxwell in the Macca song. Bang, bang.
The Cleveland Browns outbid the Saints and Falcons to obtain the disgraced and disgusting Deshaun. They proved to be the biggest suckers of all signing Watson to a record-setting contract.
Watson will need the guaranteed money to pay his legal bills, judgments, and settlements. Deshaun Watson is a lawyer’s dream. A client in deep trouble with deep pockets.
One more tweet from yours truly:
Glad Saints dodged the Deshaun bullet. I had a good post title if they signed the creep: Disgusted, Disgruntled, Deshaun. The Browns signing this creep is one of the Browniest things ever. Blowing up your team for a guy who will be suspended. The malakatude it burns.
— Shecky (@Adrastosno) March 18, 2022
There are those who don’t think the NFL will suspend the disgraced and disgusting Deshaun. I disagree. The NFL hates bad publicity and they’re getting a boatload right now. The NFL may not care about doing the right thing, but they do care about being perceived to have done the right thing.
Watson is ever-so briefly on top of the world. But there’s more scandal to come: he’s only been deposed in 4 out of 22 cases. The Deshaun disgrace dirt is deep and plentiful. I’m relieved it will spatter the hapless Browns, not the Saints.
I’m not letting Saints management off the hook. They were so fixated on Watson’s on-field talent that they overlooked the message that signing this creep would send, especially to women fans.
Former Saints Coach Sean Payton sent a signal through Jeff Duncan of the Picvocate, a sports columnist he’s close to:
It’s notable that this is a move Payton would not have made. He was not a big Watson fan.
So this isn’t just [new head coach] Allen’s first major venture, it’s his true foray outside the Payton Way. And it’s a bold one.
It blew up in Dennis Allen’s face, but he shares the blame with GM Mickey Loomis and owner Gayle Benson. It’s not surprising that Benson was willing to ignore the sordid and seedy details of Deshaun’s disgrace. Benson’s minions went all out to help the New Orleans archdiocese spin its way out of its latest sexual abuse scandal. I don’t buy Benson’s disclaimer. She’s a good Catholic and turning a blind eye to sexual abuse is what being a good Catholic means in 2022. Harsh but true.
I’m glad the Deshaun disgrace dance is over. The only winners were the Houston Texans who took the Browns to the cleaners. Everyone else’s reputation suffered including many in the sporting press who focused on Watson’s physical ability, not his sexual proclivities.
This is a messy and tawdry business, so I’ll end on a positive note with a song with disgrace in the title. The last word goes to Yes: