Cleveland Browns

Two of the women who accused Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and misconduct, Ashley Solis and Kyla Hayes, were interviewed for an episode of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel set to air on Tuesday night.

Solis said the five-year, $230 million contract Watson signed with the Browns this offseason after he was traded to the team was a slap in the face.

"It's just like a big screw you," she said (h/t Jake Trotter of ESPN). "That's what it feels like. That we don't care. He can run and throw, and that's what we care about."

"It was sick to me," Hayes added. "I felt like he's being rewarded for bad behavior."

Both women described Watson's alleged inappropriate sexual behavior during massage sessions with them.

"As I'm working, he deliberately grabs himself and put his penis on my hand," Solis said (h/t Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). "And I pulled my hand away instantly and I started crying. And I told him that I'm done. I don't wanna do this anymore."

Hayes said Watson "wanted me to kinda make a V motion in his pelvic area. So go across his stomach to his thighs, back to his stomach. I just kept massaging and did what he asked until his penis kept touching me repeatedly as I did it. He was moving his penis back and forth as my hands moved as well."

Hayes said Watson eventually ejaculated, calling it "mortifying and embarrassing and disgusting."

Solis also said she felt as though Watson threatened her after the massage.

"He just said, 'I know you have a career to protect. And I know you don't want anyone messing with it just like I don't want anyone messing with mine,'" she told Real Sports. "To me, that's when, that's when I got really scared. ... That sounded like a threat to me."

One of Watson's lawyers, Leah Graham, told HBO that Watson had sex with three of the massage therapists he visited, but each encounter was consensual and occurred after a massage session completed. She said Watson did not go into those sessions with the intent to have sex.

"As he testified in his depositions last week, yes, he has no regrets because he did nothing wrong," Graham added. "He did nothing wrong in these massages. And although—to your first question, 'How can he be innocent?' I think the real question is, 'What evidence is there of any guilt?'"

Watson, 26, is facing civil lawsuits from 22 women, including Solis and Hayes, who have accused him of sexual assault and similar inappropriate behavior during massage therapy sessions. Two separate grand juries in Texas, however, declined to pursue criminal charges against the quarterback.

The Browns quarterback has maintained his innocence. One of his attorneys, Rusty Hardin, told Cabot that Watson declined HBO's interview request since the NFL is currently conducting an investigation into the accusations.

The Cleveland Browns have yet to trade Baker Mayfield after their acquisition this offseason of Deshaun Watson. 

But despite the latter facing a possible suspension, Mayfield's continued presence on Cleveland's roster likely isn't an insurance plan in that event, but it's more the Browns trying to gain maximum value in a potential trade, per Albert Breer of SI.com:

I don't think the Browns are holding onto Mayfield as a Watson suspension insurance policy. And I think how they've operated is proof. My understanding is Cleveland's already offered to take on a good chunk of his $18.858 million in guaranteed money for this fall to facilitate a trade. And a trade may have already happened if they were willing to take on more. Which is where this really does come down to value, plain and simple.

If the Browns were delaying a Mayfield trade to see how the Watson trade shakes out, why acquire Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs? 

As Breer argues, "the team is preparing to go on without Mayfield, regardless of what happens with Watson."

And there isn't much harm for Cleveland in waiting out the trade market. A better deal might materialize closer to the season when teams realize their issues at the position or an injury necessitates a win-now acquisition. 

Waiting out that market rather than simply cutting ties with Mayfield immediately is the logical move. As Breer argues, trading Mayfield—even if they pick up some of his salary—and getting draft assets in return makes more sense than cutting him, getting nothing in return and still being "on the hook for all but whatever another team signs him for."

The situation leaves Mayfield's future in limbo, however, and one risk of leaving him on the hook for too long is creating a toxic situation. The last thing the Browns want to do is develop a reputation among NFL veterans for leaving a player out to dry. 

Granted, Mayfield's topsy-turvy four years in Cleveland didn't exactly make him a beloved figure around the city. While he showed flashes of being a player worthy of his top overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft, leading Cleveland to a playoff berth in 2020, he struggled through injuries the following season. In 2021, he threw for just 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, completing 60.5 percent of his passes. 

Watson was an upgrade from a football sense. But there are still optics to the divorce with Mayfield that the Browns need to consider. For the time being, however, slow-playing the situation makes sense for the team. 

It appears the Carolina Panthers have not ruled out a trade for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The Panthers are "monitoring" a Mayfield trade as Sam Darnold and rookie Matt Corral battle for their starting quarterback job, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. However, Breer noted the Browns would have to retain the majority of Mayfield's $18.9 million salary in 2022 in order for Carolina to move forward on a deal.

"Of course, if the Browns eat more salary sooner, I think the possibility exists he could be moved to Carolina (or Seattle) in the next few weeks," Breer wrote. 

The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported Friday that the Browns and Panthers made some progress in trade negotiations before Carolina drafted Corral in the third round. 

Mayfield has been a trade candidate since the Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans in March. However, some wonder if the franchise might hold on to him to start the 2022 season as Watson faces a possible suspension under the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Twenty-two women filed civil cases alleging Watson committed sexual assault and sexual misconduct.

That said, Mayfield requested a trade before the team acquired Watson, telling ESPN's Adam Schefter it's "in the mutual interest of both sides for us to move on" and that their relationship is "too far gone to mend." It's unclear if he'd be open to starting the season in place of Watson. 

Carolina's interest in Watson isn't a surprise. The Panthers traded for Darnold in 2021 as a potential quarterback of the future, but he didn't prove he could play better than his days with the New York Jets. 

Darnold completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,527 yards and nine touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 12 games. He also missed time with a shoulder injury.

In addition, Corral is unproven and coming out of a 2022 quarterback class that was viewed as weaker than in years past. 

With a lot of unknowns, the Panthers wouldn't have much to lose in giving Mayfield a shot in 2022 before he becomes a free agent, provided the Browns eat some of his salary. 

The Cleveland Browns have re-signed defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the agreement is "essentially" a one year, $11 million contract, but he added it could be "more complicated than that." Rapoport also noted Clowney turned down $14-15 million per season on multiyear offers from other teams to remain with the Browns.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said on an April 3 episode of SportsCenter that the Browns were "pushing" for a reunion with Clowney. His agent Kennard McGuire told the Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich on March 28 that Clowney and the Browns shared "mutual interest" in a deal.

The 28-year-old was drafted No. 1 overall by the Houston Texans in 2014 and was traded to the Seattle Seahawks prior to the 2019 season. He spent one year in Seattle before joining the Tennessee Titans for the 2020 campaign. The Browns signed him to a one-year deal last offseason.

In his first season in Cleveland, Clowney registered 37 total tackles and nine sacks in 14 games. It was a bounce-back performance after he was limited to eight games in 2020 because of a knee injury.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection is one of the most respected edge-rushers in the NFL when healthy. While he has never had a season with double-digit sacks in his career, he routinely commands attention from opposing offensive lines to open up opportunities for his teammates. Cleveland was ninth in the league with 43 sacks last season.

Clowney's return to Cleveland will provide consistency for the Browns defense. Alongside Myles Garrett, who recorded a career-high 16 sacks last season, the South Carolina product remains a part of one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the league.

Rusty Hardin, the attorney for Deshaun Watson, says he expects the NFL to decide on whether to discipline the Cleveland Browns quarterback at some point in June or July.

"We should know what their position is initially sometime in June, and then everybody will figure out if there’s going to be a hearing about it or can people work things out, or whatever," Hardin told cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot on Friday. "The only thing that’s certain is that they want to try to get everything done this summer—and earlier than later in the summer. Past that, we don’t really have any firm dates or possibilities."

NFL investigators met with Watson from Monday to Wednesday as the league continues to look into the allegations from 22 women accusing Watson of sexual assault or misconduct. 

All of the women say Watson hired them to perform massages before acting inappropriately.

No criminal charges have been filed against Watson, but the league can still suspend him under its personal conduct policy. The three-time Pro Bowler has denied the allegations, though he did admit under oath that he apologized to one of the women, Ashley Solis, after she cried following their massage appointment.

"Yes, because she was teary-eyed," Watson said when asked whether he knew why he apologized to the woman, per Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today. "And I was trying to figure out what was going on. So, I assumed that she was uncomfortable in whatever reason. And we talked about working in the future. And so, I said, 'We can work in the future. Just let me know.' And then I sent my apologies as whatever reason she was teary-eyed for."

Solis, the first woman who accused Watson of sexual misconduct, did not reply to Watson's apology. 

More Watson accusers are set to appear Tuesday night on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, which will feature an interview segment with the women and journalist Soledad O'Brien.

"My approach all along was that we were not going to win the battle of public opinion," Hardin said. "And my goal has always been to have these cases examined by law enforcement and I strongly believed that trained investigators would ultimately conclude that there was nothing to them from a criminal standpoint and that’s where my focus has always been."

The Browns traded 2022, 2023 and 2024 first-round picks, a 2023 third-round pick and fourth-round selections in 2022 and 2024 to the Houston Texans for Watson in March. As part of the deal, the Browns gave Watson a $230 million fully guaranteed contract. Interestingly, the deal is structured to give him a base salary of just $1 million in 2022, minimizing the financial impact of any type of suspension. 

The NFL reportedly wants to interview Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson again as it investigates the allegations of sexual assault and misconduct he is facing from 22 women.

Ed Gallek and Peggy Gallek of Fox 8 Cleveland reported Friday that league investigators already met with Watson this week but are seeking another interview.

"Remaining schedule is unclear but they clearly want to complete it sometime this summer," Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, said.

Multiple grand juries ruled in March the Clemson product would not be indicted on criminal charges, but he could still be suspended by the league if it determines he violated its personal conduct policy.

Watson, who Cleveland acquired from the Houston Texans via trade after the first grand jury declined to indict him on criminal charges, is also still facing 22 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct during massage therapy sessions.

The Fox 8 report noted the quarterback has given multiple depositions on the cases and was asked if he believes all 22 plaintiffs are lying during one of them.

"I've never had any sexual misconduct with any of these women," Watson said. "I done told you before multiple times from day one I received the lawsuit. I never assaulted; I never harassed; I never disrespected: I never touched: no woman ever touched me, or nothing like that what these women are alleging that actually happened."

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported Tuesday that all 22 civil lawsuits will likely be pushed back to next year given the steps remaining and the agreed-upon moratorium on cases between Aug. 1, 2022, and March 1, 2023.

"The manner of presentation in the cases could make the trials significantly longer than expected," Robinson reported, noting Watson's side could respond to each allegation individually if evidence from multiple allegations are introduced for individual proceedings.

Hardin told Fox 8 "there is no timetable" for when the NFL will complete its investigation, however, it seems likely the league will want to make a decision before the start of the 2022 season.

The Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks reportedly "still haven't ruled out" a trade for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield before the 2022 NFL season.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Friday the situation has been stuck in a "holding pattern" while the Panthers and Seahawks wait to see whether the Browns become more willing to retain a "much greater portion" of Mayfield's $18.9 million salary than offered so far.

Cleveland put itself in a difficult position in March when it completed a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans to acquire Deshaun Watson without finding a new home for Mayfield.

The Browns also signed Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs to fill the reserve roles, and they added undrafted rookie Felix Harper as a developmental option after his strong showing during the team's recent minicamp.

So interested teams realize Cleveland would prefer not to pay a backup in a crowded QB room nearly $19 million, and they're trying to leverage that into the Browns eating a sizable portion of that amount.

The contract's structure also doesn't help because the Browns would receive no salary-cap relief if Mayfield is released, but every dollar not retained in a trade would represent savings under the cap, which is why the trade route is strongly preferred.

Cleveland isn't against retaining some salary, but it wants the "contractual intake to be commensurate with the asset they receive in return," per Howe. In other words, if it keeps more money in the deal it wants a better return, likely in the form of a higher draft pick.

Both the Panthers and Seahawks could benefit from an upgrade at quarterback for 2022.

Carolina drafted Matt Corral in the third round last month, but he's coming out of a mostly single-read offense at Ole Miss. A year on the sideline learning to read NFL defenses and adjusting to multiple-read offensive concepts would aid his development.

In turn, the Panthers could be staring down another year of Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker, who combined to throw 10 touchdowns and 16 interceptions last season.

Seattle is heading toward a quarterback competition between Drew Lock, Geno Smith and Jacob Eason. It's unlikely any of them are the long-term answer following the departure of Russell Wilson.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll downplayed the idea of the team making a deal for another QB, though.

"I don't see us making a trade for anybody at all. I don't see that happening," Carroll told reporters in early May. "But we're certainly going to continue to be open to chances to help our club, and meanwhile we're just going to be battling and competing our tails off. There's always possibilities, so we keep open to that."

There aren't any other obvious potential trade partners for Cleveland, and the San Francisco 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo is another veteran signal-caller who could be on the move before the season gets underway in September, which crowds the market.

So the Browns may have no choice beyond keeping a significant portion of Mayfield's salary if they want to get a deal done.

The Cleveland Browns placed the franchise tag on tight end David Njoku this offseason, but the team is reportedly looking to sign him to a long-term extension as well.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Cleveland offered a long-term deal to Njoku that exceeds $13 million per year. It is "an impressive number for someone with just 1,754 receiving yards over five seasons," Fowler noted.

Njoku became more important to the team when it released tight end Austin Hooper.

While Hooper is a two-time Pro Bowler from his time on the Atlanta Falcons, the 435 receiving yards he posted in 2020 and the 345 he finished with in 2021 marked his lowest totals since he was a rookie in 2016.

The 25-year-old Njoku figures to be a central piece of Cleveland's attack without Hooper, but he has always stood out more for his potential than production to this point.

The Browns selected him with a first-round pick in 2017, and he looked well on his way to an impressive career when he finished his second season with 56 catches for 639 yards and four touchdowns.

Yet he appeared in just four games the following season, had 213 receiving yards in 2020 and tallied 475 receiving yards last year.

Njoku's physical profile at 6'4" suggests he can be a red-zone threat who can high-point passes in the end zone. He also possesses the athleticism to break free of linebackers downfield and showed flashes of his potential in his second season.

Cleveland must still believe in that potential enough to offer him a long-term deal, and the 2022 campaign could be an important one as he attempts to carve out his place in the aerial attack.         

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said one woman cried after giving him a massage, according to a transcript of his deposition last week during a pretrial hearing.

Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today obtained a partial transcript of the hearing in which Watson said he apologized via text message to one of the 22 women who have filed civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct.

"Yes, because she was teary-eyed," Watson said when asked whether he knew why he apologized to the woman. "And I was trying to figure out what was going on.  So, I assumed that she was uncomfortable in whatever reason. And we talked about working in the future. And so, I said, 'We can work in the future. Just let me know.'  And then I sent my apologies as whatever reason she was teary-eyed for."

The woman, Ashley Solis, did not reply to Watson's apology. She was the first woman to sue Watson over allegations of sexual assault or misconduct.

While Watson is not facing criminal charges after two grand juries declined to press charges following 10 police investigations, the lawsuits are ongoing and the NFL is currently investigating him under the league's personal conduct policy.

He has denied all accusations of sexual assault or misconduct.

The Browns traded 2022, 2023 and 2024 first-round picks, along with a 2023 third-round pick and fourth-round selections in 2022 and 2024 for Watson despite the allegations. The team also gave him a new, fully guaranteed $230 million contract. 

"We have done extensive investigative, legal and reference work over the past several months to provide us with the appropriate information needed to make an informed decision about pursuing him and moving forward with him as our quarterback," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a March statement. "Deshaun has been among the very best at the position and he understands the work needed to re-establish himself on and off the field in  Cleveland. We are confident that he will make positive contributions to our team and community as we support his return to football."

A final verdict in the lawsuits, should they go to trial, is not expected until well into next year. Attorneys for the women and Watson agreed to have no trial date set before February, which would coincide with the end of the football season.

Watson has further depositions scheduled for June.