Month: September 2024

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is facing a new sexual assault lawsuit. In a new civil lawsuit filed in Houston, Watson is accused of sexual assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit is similar to the nearly two dozen that were filed against him when he played for the Houston Texans, with the latest filing made by attorney Tony Buzbee, who represented some of the 25-plus women who previously accused Watson of sexual assault. Those lawsuits settled outside of court and resulted in an 11-game suspension for the quarterback during the 2022 season.

Per CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the NFL is reviewing the allegations against Watson, but is not considering placing him on on the Commissioner’s Exempt list because there are no formal charges and they have just begun to review the accusations. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued a statement addressing the lawsuit on Tuesday: “We are reviewing the complaint and we will look into the matter under the personal conduct policy. Not looking at commissioner’s exempt list as there’s been no formal charges and the league’s review has just begun.”

The Browns also issued a brief statement on Tuesday: “We will respect the due process our legal system affords regarding the recently filed civil suit and follow the NFL’s guidelines on this matter.”  Watson has yet to publicly address the new lawsuit.

NFL special counsel Lisa Friel will oversee the investigation and is tasked with determining if Watson committed a violation of the personal conduct policy and if a violation warrants additional discipline from what the league has issued Watson for previous violations.

Watson was suspended for 11 games in 2022 after he faced more than 20 accusations of sexual misconduct during his time with the Texans. The QB did not face criminal charges in any of the instances and has long denied any wrongdoing. and settled the majority of the lawsuits that were filed against him.

Watson signed a record-setting, fully guaranteed $230 million contract, which the team has since restructured twice. Watson has appeared in just six games in each of the past two seasons, first due to his suspension then due to numerous injuries last season.

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The union representing Miami-Dade police officers said in a statement Monday that Tyreek Hill was “uncooperative” causing a police officer to “redirect” the Miami Dolphins star to the ground while in handcuffs during a traffic stop outside of Hard Rock Stadium, because he refused orders to sit.

Steadman Stahl, the president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association said in a statement: “Before the Dolphins game yesterday, an incident occurred where Tyreek Hill was placed in handcuffs before being released. First, to be clear, at no time was he ever under arrest. He was briefly detained for officer safety, after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great danger. Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs. Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground. Once the situation was sorted out within a few minutes, Mr. Hill was issued two traffic citations and was free to leave .. While we are confident in the actions that led to the stop of Mr. Hill, as with any investigation, we will wait for all of the facts to come out, along with any explanation Mr. Hill may have for his actions that initiated this unfortunate incident.”

The police union said that Hill was issued two traffic citations as a result of the stop, which occurred on a road adjacent to the Dolphins’ home field in Miami Gardens, Fla. Hours after the stop, Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie V. Daniels announced that one officer involved was placed on administrative duties amid an investigation into the incident, which the department said is protocol for officers involved in internal affairs investigations.

Hill told reporters that he had “no idea” why officers placed him in handcuffs, adding that he was not disrespectful and was “still trying to put it all together.”  Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told reporters Sunday that the incident “was completely unnecessary .. We are going to have to look into this. I want to make sure he wasn’t mistreated.”

Hill went on to total 130 yards and a touchdown on seven catches in the Dolphins’ 20-17 victory over the Jaguars. The Dolphins (1-0) will face the Buffalo Bills (1-0) in their second game of the season at 8:15 p.m. EDT Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium.

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Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown will need surgery on his knee and could miss the remainder of the season.

Panthers coach Dave Canales had said Monday that Brown will get a second opinion before deciding to have surgery to repair his meniscus: “Definitely a huge loss .. He’s one of our best players. That’s big shoes to fill. At the same time, we encourage [to whoever is playing] go in with great technique and just do your job. We don’t need you to make the special plays that Derrick makes. Just do your job. That’s the truth of it. If you play team football with a bunch of guys you can have success.” The surgery will determine how long Brown will be out, but the source confirmed his season is likely over.

Brown injured his meniscus in the Panthers’ 47-10 loss to the Saints, though it was unclear when Brown suffered the injury. Canales confirmed that Brown “isn’t really sure” when the injury occurred. “It’s a physical game … When you play interior there’s a lot of funky positions you get into.”  Brown played 60 of Carolina’s 66 snaps in its worst opening-day loss in team history and fourth-largest margin of defeat overall.

Brown’s injury comes after Carolina gave the No. 7 overall pick in 2020 a four-year, $96 million extension earlier this offseason. Brown was selected one of the team’s defensive captains last week.

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