Deshaun Watson’s legal turmoil is far from gone. So, even though the Cleveland Browns decided to trade for him, that doesn’t mean we’re anywhere near close to watching him take the field for the upcoming NFL season.
A 23rd civil lawsuit was recently filed against the Clemson product. Also, new reports of multiple payouts have only complicated his defense and made him lose at least more suspicious.
Now, it’s also been reported that the former Houston Texans star offered to pay $100,000 to settle the cases. However, his demands against an ‘aggressive NDA’ forced the plaintiffs to reconsider that stance.
NFL News: Deshaun Watson Wanted An ‘Aggressive NDA’ As A Part Of The Settlement Agreement
“Of course, we now know that Deshaun Watson offered each Plaintiff $100,000 to settle their cases, but not all would accept that amount, due to the aggressive nondisclosure agreement that Watson’s team proposed,” reported Nia Smith.
“This is an apparent reference to the effort to settle all cases at the behest of the Dolphins, which wanted all cases settled before it would trade for Watson,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk added. “As PFT reported at the time, 18 of the 22 cases were ready to be settled. Four of the plaintiffs refused.”
“Based on the language in footnote 2 to the Smith lawsuit, the nondisclosure language derailed the settlement,” Florio explained.“Attorney Rusty Hardin recently explained in a podcast appearance with Gabe Feldman that the Dolphins wanted the settlements to include the NDA language.”
Watson’s camp refused to include that NDA language in the original agreement;thus the plaintiffs stood their ground and refused to settle. Now, he continues to face all accusations, and the situation won’t go away forthe time being. Also, a suspension by the NFL isn’t out of the question right now.