After being suspended for 11 games in 2022, Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson was able to put that behind him and once again get on the football field for 2023. However, his season was cut short due to a shoulder injury.
The injury rehab, post-surgery, is ongoing, and it looks as if his past troubles, which he was originally suspended for, are once again becoming an issue. What was supposedly in the rearview looks to be coming back to light for Watson as more cases against him are set to go to trial in the coming months.
Deshaun Watson’s Future With the Browns
Watson was presented with court cases from 26 different women alleging sexual misconduct, with him and his legal team able to settle with all but two of them. That outcome set the stage for what many had thought would be the chapter’s closing as he rode out his suspension and hoped to move on.
Yet, the two open cases that Watson and his team have not been able to settle are set to go to trial in the next couple of months, and according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, if there are any new findings regarding Watson and these cases, it could lead to further discipline for the QB.
“Although he has been suspended 11 games by the NFL for the allegations, the league has not completely ruled out the possibility of further punishment, given the evidence that could emerge in the remaining cases and/or eventual verdicts.”
The looming factor of more litigation ongoing is a factor in Watson’s future. That, and the ongoing rehab of his shoulder, play a factor in what just may play out for him and his time in Cleveland.
While all indications are that his shoulder rehab is going well, there are no guarantees that he will be able to gain the form he once had that prompted the team to sign him to the long-term deal they did.
That, coupled with the uncertainty of possible suspensions or further discipline, looks like more of the same for the QB as far as turbulence in his career goes.
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Despite the team hoping the bumpy ride was over when the suspension was completed, it looks as if it will be more of the same for Watson this offseason, setting the stage to see just how much, if at all, it will affect his future with the team.
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