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Deshaun Watson denied the allegations of 22 women claiming he committed sexual misconduct and the Cleveland Browns explained why they felt confident in their new quarterback’s character even without directly speaking to the accusers.
Watson, Browns general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski faced questions Friday to introduce the Pro Bowl quarterback to a new community where fans are dealing with mixed emotions between the football player and person.
“I understand these allegations are serious. I never assaulted any woman. I’ve never disrespected any woman. I was raised to be genuine and to respect everyone around me,” Watson said. “I’ve never done the things that these people are alleging.”
Berry said the Browns’ investigation into Watson’s background was a “five-month odyssey.” It ended with sending six draft picks to the Houston Texans for Watson, who was not indicted on criminal charges by two grand juries this month.
Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing the 22 massage therapists who have filed civil lawsuits, previously said that no NFL team interested in trading for Watson (including the Browns) reached out to his clients as part of their due diligence.
“We used independent investigative resources within the Harris County (Texas) and Houston law enforcement community in order to get an unbiased and well-rounded and comprehensive perspective on the allegations,” Berry said. “We didn’t want it to be one-sided.”
Berry said that the Browns used third-party legal counsel and “were advised by our attorneys against reaching out directly to the 22 women out of concern that it would be considered interfering with a criminal investigation.”
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