A year or so ago, the Deshaun Watson legal odyssey began with a massage therapist making an opening settlement demand of $100,000. Now, word has emerged that Watson was willing to pay one of his accusers that same amount.
Marlow Stern of TheDailyBeast.com reports that Watson offered one of the 22 woman who have since sued him $100,000 to settle her claim.
The report includes several pages from a proposed settlement agreement. The final page of the document reveals that it was prepared with the expectation that it would be signed in October 2021.
This meshes with past reporting that Watson attempted to settle all of the civil cases before the trade deadline in early November, so that the Dolphins would finalize a trade for him. As PFT has reported, the Dolphins wanted Watson only if the civil cases were settled.
Of the 22 plaintiffs, 18 were ready to settle. The person who gave a copy of the proposed agreement to TheDailyBeast.com rejected the offer. Since all couldn’t be settled, none were settled.
The civil lawsuits quietly have proceeded, with multiple plaintiffs being questioned under oath. Watson is eligible to be questioned under oath after the Super Bowl.
A criminal investigation still lingers, too. Last month, we reported that the grand jury investigating the case was expected to conclude its work by the end of January.