Deshaun Watson’s gym membership in 2020 leads to salary cap infraction for Texans

The Houston Texans have received a fifth-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and a $175,000 fine for a salary cap reporting violation involving former team quarterback Deshaun Watson.

An NFL investigation determined that the Texans provided Watson with sports club membership in 2020, when team facilities were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement stipulates that teams must report any compensation or benefits awarded by clubs to their players.

Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns before the 2022 season after being accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women, most of whom work or have worked as massage therapists. The three-time Pro Bowl QB allegedly was sexually inappropriate with women during massage therapy appointments while playing for Houston between 2019 and 2021. Watson settled 23 of the 24 civil lawsuits filed by the women, who accused him of everything from exposure indecent to allegations of forced oral sex.

In July, the Texans reached confidential settlements with 30 women who accused Watson of sexual misconduct. The NFL club was accused of allowing Watson by allegedly ignoring her behavior and securing her a membership at a local hotel and club, the Houstonian, where she allegedly sexually harassed and assaulted massage therapists.

It’s unclear if the NFL is punishing the Texans for giving Watson a membership to the Houstonian or to another club in the Houston area. An NFL spokesman did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for clarification.

The Texans are not denying wrongdoing when it comes to the salary cap violation.

“During the 2020 league year and while its facilities were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Club absorbed $26,777 in player benefit costs for the use of alternative sports facilities, which it believes should have been charged to players. player salaries. read a statement from the team.

The Club has fully cooperated with the League in its investigation of these matters and maintains that it had no intention of circumventing salary cap rules or gaining any competitive advantage. While we disagree with the League’s ruling, we will accept the discipline imposed and move on!’

Watson, who went 3-3 in his first season with the Browns, has denied any wrongdoing and two Texas grand juries declined to indict him earlier this year.

Watson reached an agreement with the league in August to miss 11 games, pay a $5 million fine and receive counseling and treatment.

The 27-year-old quarterback was originally suspended six games by an independent referee before the NFL appealed the light sentence imposed in August. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had the right to rule on the appeal, but instead chose former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to handle the tasks.

Ultimately, however, the NFL and players union reached a compromise before Harvey issued his decision.

As part of the settlement, Watson is required to “submit immediately to a professional evaluation by behavioral experts and will continue his treatment program.” She previously told reporters that she was already receiving counselling.

With the allegations out in the open, Watson was acquired in a trade with the Texans in March and quickly agreed to a restructured contract, guaranteeing him $230 million over five seasons in Cleveland. (Watson’s $5 million fine and roughly $640,000 he will lose on game controls account for just 2.4 percent of his entire contract.)

Watson said in a statement that he was sorry for “any pain this situation has caused,” but when he spoke to reporters at Browns training camp on Thursday, he once again reiterated his innocence.

“I’m moving on with my career and my life, and I’m still defending my innocence,” Watson said. “Just because deals happen doesn’t mean a person is guilty.”

He also declined to say whether or not the deal was fair: “I’m going to keep my opinion to myself.”

Several of the massage therapists allegedly met Watson at a local hotel and private club, the Houstonian, where the Texans had allegedly secured him a membership.

He New York Times reported in June that Watson booked massaged with at least 66 women over a 17-month span, while his former team, the Houston Texans, allegedly provided a venue for some of the dates and even gave him a nondisclosure agreement for the women to sign.

According to the In the report, which includes excerpts from civil suit depositions and interviews with some of the women, Watson’s behavior was much more egregious than previously known, and Texans may have been aware of the problem.

While the 26-year-old estimated that he booked around 40 massages over a five-year stint with the Texans, the Times reported that Watson actually went on dates with at least 66 different women from the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2021.

Not all of those masseurs have accused him of sexual misconduct.

It is not clear why he repeatedly met with new masseurs. His lawyer, Rusty Hardin, previously claimed that Watson needed to book appointments ‘ad hoc’ during the pandemic.