CLEVELAND — Any day now, Deshaun Watson will learn his NFL fate.
Any day now, the Cleveland Browns will learn how many games Watson will actually play this season for them at quarterback.
And any day now, all Browns fans who have innocently been drawn into this story will get a read on what kind of season we're really going to have in 2022.
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There's a lot riding on how the NFL is going to rule in the Deshaun Watson case. Suspension, or no suspension? What's the verdict?
There's been muffled excitement since Deshaun Watson was traded to the Browns. Why muffled? On one hand, he's a gifted quarterback, and the Browns certainly needed one. On the other hand, most people wince when they hear the story: 22 women lining up against him. The number is almost as intimidating as the details of what allegedly went on.
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Yet from Day One when Watson touched down in Berea and met with the media, he has never flinched, he has never wavered about his innocence.
"What I can continue to do is tell the truth, and that is I've never assaulted or disrespected or harassed any woman in my life," Watson said on that March Friday. "I was raised differently. That's not my DNA, that's not my culture, that's not me as a person, that's not how I was raised."
In the meantime, the heavyweights in this case are the two lawyers who continue to knock heads: Rusty Hardin for Watson, Tony Buzbee for the 22 women. Some legal experts say Watson should settle these lawsuits, take the NFL's suspension, and move on.
You have to wonder if the Browns might want that, too. You have to believe this had to be a strong topic of discussion during the negotiations with Watson back in Houston just before the trade went down.
The most difficult part for the team is watching how gifted Watson is every day with his new teammates during OTAs, and they imagine how great he and they can be together. But will it happen?
I think it's time for a conclusion to this story. I think I speak for all of you: We deserve it.