Multiple NFL owners weren’t the only ones not thrilled with the $230 million, fully-guaranteed contract that the Browns gave to quarterback Deshaun Watson. Two of the persons accusing Watson of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions object to it as well.
“It’s just like a big screw you,” plaintiff Ashley Solis tells Soledad O’Brien in an item that debuts tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. “That’s what it feels like. That we don’t care. He can run and throw, and that’s what we care about.”
Added plaintiff Kyla Hayes: “It was sick to me. . . . I felt like he’s being rewarded for bad behavior.”
Their lawyer, Tony Buzbee, chimed in as well.
“I don’t think the team cares about what Deshaun Watson may have done in a massage session,” Buzbee said. “And based on my personal experience with the NFL, I don’t think they care either.”
The former, frankly, seems to be accurate based on the comments made by G.M. Andrew Berry at Watson’s introductory press conference. The latter remains to be seen, sooner than later.