The Latest: No Deshaun Watson trade deal, sources say; attorney for women responds
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 03: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans in action against the Tennessee Titans during a game at NRG Stadium on January 03, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
HOUSTON - Tuesday is the National Football League trade deadline, and it appears Houston Texans Quarterback Deshaun Watson will be staying put.
An NFL source confirmed to FOX 26 Sports Director Mark Berman that the Texans will not trade Watson before today’s deadline – not even to the Miami Dolphins.
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The news comes hours after an NFL source told Berman that if the Dolphins agree to trade for Watson it will have to get done without all of the 22 women who've filed civil lawsuits against Watson agreeing to settle, and with several balking at signing a non-disclosure agreement.
The women allege that the quarterback sexually assaulted or harassed them.
Houston police and the NFL have been investigating the allegations. But even before the accusations against Watson, who led the NFL in passing yards last season, had been unhappy with the direction of the Texans and requested a trade earlier this year.
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Tony Buzbee, attorney for the 22 women who have filed civil lawsuits against Watson, spoke to FOX 26 Sports about the quarterback not getting traded.
"First off, my clients, whether there’s a deal or not, really has nothing to do with us. People keep asking about our opinion on it. Whether he’s in Miami or Houston or wherever he goes, it doesn’t change our case," Buzbee said. "Bottom line was, apparently, at some point the Dolphins wanted 22 settlements. I made it clear, after talking to my clients, that that wasn’t gonna happen and then they lowered that number. I made that clear that wasn’t gonna happen. Watson’s team was trying to sell the Dolphins on some lower number and I think that never came to pass."
When asked about the non-disclosure agreements his clients were asked to sign, Buzbee said "I don’t know if it came from Watson or if it came from the Dolphins. I don’t know where it came from, but there was an insistence of a very, very robust non-disclosure agreement and we pushed back on that very hard. For some of the women that was the deal-breaker. On other women it was the compensation. Everyone was different, but there was some insistence on a non-disclosure agreement."
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"I don’t care if he gets traded or not. It’s really not my thing," Buzbee added. "Obviously, there was a lot of effort on their part to get the case settled so there could be a trade apparently. I’m assuming at some point that will come about again. Time is on my side. I’m just gonna continue to pursue the case, continue to do my due diligence on the case and start preparing the case for, hopefully, a trial. The next significant event, I believe, will be February when we have the opportunity to take Mr. Watson’s deposition."