On Sunday morning, the top story on the website of the Cleveland Browns was the announcement of the signing of Amari Cooper from the Dallas Cowboys.
That shouldn’t have been so surprising. It was a noteworthy acquisition; he is an elite wide receiver who could well prove to be one of the signings of the season and the Browns should be pleased to have secured his services.
But the signing had been confirmed on Wednesday, since when the Browns had completed another trade, one with potentially greater impact on the field, and a far wider impact off it. For also heading to Cleveland is Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans; a trade that has put the relationship between the NFL and morality, those often uncomfortable bedfellows, in the spotlight once again.
In the case of Watson having an NFL future, we now know the line in the sand was a simple one of technical legality. Ten days ago, a grand jury decided that he had done nothing illegal in his actions toward a number of women — or at least not to the extent that it could be proved in the American justice system — and so removed one barrier to his returning to play in the NFL.
There are still 22 civil lawsuits from massage therapists accusing him of sexual assault and sexual misconduct — accusations he has denied. His lawyers have said “some sexual activity” happened at some appointments but there was no coercion. They see the grand jury’s decision not to indict as exoneration. It isn’t and the NFL is yet to rule out a suspension under its personal conduct policy — but jail time is no longer a possibility and that was good enough for a number of teams to make firm enquiries about his availability for a trade.
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The quarterback-needy Carolina Panthers emerged as an early front-runner in the race for his signature but talks came to nothing. The Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles were also touted as possible destinations, but Watson was unmoved, clearly not fancying doing bird of any kind. Instead he will be returning to the NFL in the famous brown and orange, with the Texans announcing last Friday that the trade had been completed.
That day the Texans’ general manager, Nick Caserio, said that he believed trading Watson “was the right move for our organisation”. The 26-year-old quarterback shared an Instagram mock-up of him in a Browns kit. “Cleveland, LETSSSS GOOOO!! #DawgPound Ready To Work!” he wrote. The Browns’ thoughts? Well, they had little to say on the matter. Maybe they were wise enough to know that a trade that is far from palatable to many could not simply be met with “delighted to have him, let’s get to work” platitudes.
But not to have anything ready suggests they weren’t prepared for the backlash, or weren’t prepared to address it. Given this has been a widely publicised case, any team prepared to sign Watson should have been on the front foot with diffusing the ire that was sure to come their way. But maybe deep down they know there is little to say in defence of hiring a man who could still be punished for alleged sexual offences. Watson insists he has done nothing wrong; but many women have come out to say he has. There are women who do not form part of the civil case who have spoken of his inappropriate behaviour.
By Sunday lunchtime Cleveland time, the official website finally carried the news that Watson had joined the franchise, reminding us instantly that, “Watson has been selected to three Pro Bowls (2018-20) and led the NFL in passing yards in 2020 with 4,823”. This is not to question the Browns’ media approach, and maybe they were waiting until every detail of his contract had been ironed out — a fully guaranteed five-year deal worth $230 million (about £174 million) that factors in a likely suspension during the 2022 season — before an official announcement, but it seemed odd that there was no mention. Luckily by then, the franchise was ready to give its side of the story.
“We spent a tremendous amount of time exploring and investigating the opportunity to trade for Deshaun Watson. We are acutely aware and empathetic to the highly personal sentiments expressed about this decision,” the owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “Our team’s comprehensive evaluation process was of utmost importance due to the sensitive nature of his situation and the complex factors involved. We also understand there are still some legal proceedings that are ongoing and we will respect due process. It was pivotal that we, along with Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski, meet with Deshaun to have a straightforward dialogue, discuss our priorities, and hear directly from him on how he wants to approach his career on and off the field.”
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There were quotes from Stefanski pointing out it was “Andrew and his staff” who had carried out the due diligence. Berry was clear it was an organisational decision. This is some perverse safety in numbers, with each party able to point the finger of blame elsewhere should things go very wrong.
At least they do know he comes with baggage. They have talked to Watson, but is it really for him to decide if this issue can be forgotten so quickly? They acknowledge the legal proceedings yet seem happy that this should be no impediment, when it should have given them pause for thought. It is often said that NFL stands for “not for long” as an observation of the duration of a player’s career; but it could equally apply to the time in which a player is persona non grata — especially if he is a player who can elevate a side into play-off contention.
What message are the Browns giving to Watson’s accusers? No one is saying Watson, at the age of 26, should be denied the chance of ever playing in the NFL again. But the haste with which the Browns have moved to secure his services is unseemly and the fact that they have backloaded his contract so he is owed little in a season in which he is likely to miss at least half a dozen games is just so deaf to the strength of feeling around the case — he is due $1 million (£757,322) for 2022; $46 million (£34.8 million) for other years, plus a similar-sized signing bonus.
The Browns’s former chief executive, Joe Banner, tweeted: “The worst part of what Browns did wasn’t signing Watson, but agreeing to a contract that helps him mitigate or even avoid virtually any financial consequences from the NFL. Who does that with 22 accusations still out there. I don’t agree with signing him, but this is much worse.”
Yes, the move immediately makes the Browns a better team, but a lesser franchise.
