Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson might be off the field for a very long time.
Watson is currently facing more than 20 lawsuits alleging sexual assault and misconduct, and there’s no concrete timeline for when he might play again. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
At the moment, he’s not even scheduled to have his deposition until after the 2021 season.
Deshaun Watson is working out. He posts on social media (IG story) for the first time since March 16 – the evening he released his statement that he was aware of a lawsuit & he looked forward to clearing his name. #NFL #Texans pic.twitter.com/RmZv2deRHn
— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) May 19, 2021
Well, it turns out that it might not be for a couple years. According to Fox Sports Radio host Ben Maller, the most realistic return date is some point in 2023.
He said the following about the situation, according to BroBible:
If you look at the timeline on this, barring a drastic sea change, Deshaun Watson will not be playing in an NFL game until at the very minimum 2023. That’s the earliest. If everything plays out the way it’s playing out, he’s going to be done until at least 2023. How did I get to that point? He’s going to be put on the Commissioner’s Exempt List – that’s going to happen likely in the next month before training camp opens up. The NFL does not give out time served. Which means when the trial happens, if Deshaun Watson is found guilty in the civil court — and remember the standards is much lower in civil court than criminal court — then the NFL has to come back and say, ‘well, bad news, we’ve got to punish him.’
Remember when I said that Watson had no serious trade value? Remember all the times I’ve said that? Well, this is the reason why.
The dude is facing more than 20 accusers, and we have no idea when he’ll be back on the field. That makes trading for him incredibly risky.
The first woman to file a lawsuit against Deshaun Watson (seated to Tony Buzbee’s left) has identified herself.
“My name is Ashley Solis. Remember that name. … I was afraid. I’m not afraid anymore.” pic.twitter.com/gWqX6spFmv
— Aaron Reiss (@aaronjreiss) April 6, 2021
If you swap a bunch of first round picks for the dual-threat quarterback and he doesn’t play again until 2023, then you’re getting fired if you’re the GM who pulled the trigger on that deal.
REPORT: Deshaun Watson Faces A New Lawsuit, Is Accused Of Ejaculating On A Woman’s Hand https://t.co/5LmBujcNaX
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 15, 2021
We’ll see what happens, but I’d be shocked if the Texans were able to find a trading partner for Watson given all the allegations hanging over his head. I don’t expect him to be throwing a football in a game anytime soon. That much is for sure.