The Texans traded away one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL this offseason, something teams rarely do. But in the unique circumstances facing Houston and Deshaun Watson, new Texans coach Lovie Smith says it was unquestionably the right move.
Smith told Cris Collinsworth that it was past time for the Texans to move on from Watson, who chose not to play for the team last year and remains under investigation after 22 different massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct.
“Sometimes divorce is good, and that’s my statement that I’ve made a lot of times when you know a split’s going to happen, and both parties are going to win once it does,” Smith said.
Smith said investigating Watson’s alleged off-field misconduct is not his job, but strictly from a football perspective the Texans need to move forward.
“I don’t know exactly what happened. The accusations are there, and if they have merit that will all come out in time. But for our football team, we needed to move on,” Smith said.
The Texans appear unlikely to field a strong roster this year, and the 64-year-old Smith may not have a long future in Houston. But there was never any question when Smith took the job that moving on from Watson was going to be the Texans’ move. Smith is glad to have it over with.