QB Deshaun Watson (8.18.22)
Opening statement:
“First off, I want to say I’m very grateful for the NFL and the NFLPA, for this disciplinary process to be to a close and to an ending and have some clarity. I am looking forward to just moving forward with my career and being able to get back on the field as soon as possible. That is the plan is to continue to grow as a person and an individual and keep pushing forward.”
On the discipline ultimately becoming an 11-game suspension and $5 million fine:
“Personally, I am not sure. That was what the legal side and the NFLPA did. My main focus was to come here each and every day and be the best teammate and player that I can be.”
On why he waited until before the Jacksonville game to apologize:
“Well, I apologized beforehand. I think the second time I spoke to you guys I actually apologized. I think for some people it did not register as I was apologizing, but I just wanted to clarify I was apologizing to all women and people that were affected by this situation because it is definitely a tough situation.”
On stating he did nothing wrong or disrespected any woman in his introductory press conference to settling civil lawsuits and agreeing to the discipline:
“I have always stood on my innocence, and I always said that I never assaulted anyone or disrespected anyone, and I am continuing to stand on that. At the same time, I have to continue to push forward with my life and my career. For us to be able to move forward, I have to be able to take steps and put pride to the side. I am going to continue to stand on my innocence and keep pushing forward, and I have always stood on not disrespecting or sexual assaulting anyone.”
On what he was apologizing for:
“For everyone that was affected by this situation. There were a lot of people that were triggered.”
On if he was apologizing to the women who made allegations against him:
“I have apologized to all women so anybody that was affected, even yourself, everything. I am apologizing to everyone that was affected about this whole situation.”
On if reaching settlements in the civil cases and with the discipline was about moving forward with his career and life:
“Everything, just my whole life, just have to be able to move forward, and that is the plan. I have to be able to move forward with my career, move forward with my family, with my personal life and everything.”
On what he can accomplish through counseling, given he said he stands on his innocence:
“I have to grow as a person. I have to be able to communicate and talk with people. I have to continue to know each and every situation so I do not put myself back in the situation that I was just in. I have to continue to just grow as an individual and my whole outlook of just myself as a football player but also as an individual and as a human being.”
On playing at Houston in his first game back from suspension:
“Right now, that is down the road. Right now, I am focusing on getting ready to practice against Philly and just focusing on being the best individual and get myself back in shape and getting ready and preparing for that moment whenever it comes.”
On what changed between his initial comment of not settling the lawsuits and then settling the vast majority of them:
“Like I said, I have to continue to move forward with my life and with my career. Things happen on the legal side that you have to continue to keep pushing forward and moving.”
On if the ‘discipline is unfair,’ given he said he maintains his innocence:
“I can’t speak on the fairness. I only can control what I can control, and that is throughout this process, the NFL did what they had to do and the NFLPA communicated with the legal side. Like I said before, I focused on being out here and being the best teammate and football player and quarterback that I can for the Cleveland Browns, and I let the legal side handle their side.”
On if he has an opinion on the punishment being fair or not:
“Of course, everyone has their own opinion, but I think for my peace and my sake, I am going to keep my opinion to myself.”
On if the process was starting to wear on the team while waiting to learn of the discipline and his availability for the 2022 season:
“Honestly, I think from my experience being in that locker room, the team was focusing on being the best teammate and Cleveland Brown that they can be. I know that guys were of course probably thinking about the situation, but at the same time, we were all focused on being what we can and building that chemistry as the Cleveland Browns and getting ready for the season.”
On if he is pursuing a settlement with the one pending one civil lawsuit:
“I can’t get into the real details on that, but I let my legal team continue to handle that.”
On what changes will be made when getting massage therapy:
“We have a plan as an organization, and we have just have to keep attacking that plan, pushing forward and making sure we are all on the same page.”
On his response to backlash about his comment that he stands on his innocence:
“I have to do what is best for Deshaun Watson at the end of the day. I know what happened and I was in those situations, but I have to continue to push forward and keep moving forward.”
On his reaction to the boos at Jacksonville and if that affected him:
“No ma’am. I did not have a reaction. Fans, they are able to respond how they want to respond. I can’t really control that. That is their environment. My job is to go out there on the field and make plays for the Cleveland Browns.”
On Judge Sue L. Robinson ‘seeming to believe the accounts that the NFL presented’ and using words like ‘egregious’ in the report:
“I know who I am. I know what type of person I am. I know the character of the person I was raised to be and I have always been. That is the biggest thing for me is continue to show who Deshaun Watson really is, and the people that meet me and that are around me, they will figure out who I really am.”
On why Judge Robinson saw the situation a certain way or differently than him:
“I can’t speak for Ms. Sue Robinson. I can’t speak for her.”
On missing the first 11 games with the Browns and new teammates:
“It is a tough situation, but at the end of the day, I have to continue to make sure I am around as much as possible as I can be, just continue to put in the work and support the guys that are around and support this team. I know these guys are going to do really well. We are all professionals. We are all here to do a job and to accomplish a goal, and that is to win games. I know the guys in the locker room are going to do that.”
On what he has done in an effort to be the best version of himself on and off the field, in addition to counseling:
“Just continue to be in a community. Continue to show my face around and show the people who I really am. Counseling is definitely a big part of that. I can’t get into details of exactly which counseling that is, but at the end of the day, I have continue to show my face and show people who I really am, especially in the community that I just became a citizen in. I have to continue to do that.”
On if he is confident there will not be any more forthcoming accusations:
“I can’t speak on that too much. Like I said before, all these things that kind of came forward was surprising to me, but I just have to continue to push forward as a person and as an individual.”
On if there was an opportunity to lessen the suspension by agreeing to a heavier fine:
“Like I said, I had no idea. This was my legal team and the [NFLPA] legal side. My main focus was to come out here, just participating and doing the best I can as a Cleveland Brown on the football field.”
On if it is accurate that he ‘still maintains complete innocence, never did anything wrong or disrespected anyone’ and settling civil cases and the discipline to move on with his career and life:
“Yeah, I am moving on with my career and my life, and I am continuing to stand by my innocence. Just because settlements and things like that happen does not mean that a person is guilty for anything. I feel like a person has an opportunity to stand on his innocence and prove that. We proved that on the legal side, and we are just going to continue to push forward as an individual and as a person.”
On NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Judge Robinson both using the term ‘predatory’ to describe the allegations made against him:
“Like I said before – I can’t remember who asked that question earlier – I know who I am as a person. I know how I was raised. I know how I interact with people. That is all I can do is continue to prove that and continue to show people that. People that do not know me whenever they do come in contact with me, they will know that.”
On if he knows the rules of the suspension and whether he can be around the team and on the field for the last two preseason games and when he can be in the facility during the suspension:
“I think we are going through that process. I don’t know the full details because everything just happened today. I have to get with my organization and my legal team to see what can happen.”
On if there will come a point where he comes forward and tells his whole side of the story so that others can understand why he believes he is innocent:
“That is definitely the plan. That is definitely the goal. I feel like through this whole process we have been trying to tell my side of the story, but a lot of people were not able to or did not really pay too much attention to it, but one day we will. Only time will tell. Like I said before, just continue to keep being the person I am, keep showing the community how good of a human being I am, how I have always been and how I was raised, and I just want to continue to show that and keep pushing forward.”
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