4 BIG QUESTIONS
4 questions that will tip the scales on Deshaun Watson's legal, professional future
Jun 9, 2022, 6:41 pm
The New York Times investigation of Watson raised more questions. Composite image by Brandon Strange
deshaun shade (1)
You know Deshaun Watson is having a bad week when his lawyer Rusty Hardin goes on radio and defends Watson (or as he explained later, men in general) having “happy endings’' during supposedly therapeutic massages as nothing unusual, certainly not illegal …
… and that’s the best thing that happened for Watson.
On Tuesday, the New York Times dropped a bombshell story by sports writer Jenny Vrentas alleging that Watson hired at least 66 different women for massages over a 17-month period, not the 40 women Watson claims during his 5-year career with the Houston Texans.
Watson has admitted finding some of the women on Instagram. Some worked at a massage business in a strip center on I-45. Some of the women he hired to massage him were not licensed to give massages in Texas.
The Times investigation was a brutal takedown of a superstar athlete at the height of his professional career.
The article quoted several women describing in graphic, lurid and degrading detail how Watson attempted to lure them into engaging in sex acts, succeeding in some cases.
“At least 66 different women.”
The number has continually risen since March 16, 2021 when lawyer Tony Buzbee announced on Instagram that he was filing a lawsuit against Watson for sexual misconduct. The current number is 24 active suits.
Watson has admitted to having sex with three of the masseuses, but insists that each time the act was consensual, initiated by the women, occurred after the massage and he didn’t pay extra for sex.
The New York Times investigation also claimed that the Houston Texans, if not knowing accomplices, were enablers in Watson’s massage spree. The article claimed that the Texans provided Watson with a membership at the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa where he invited several of the women to hotel rooms for massage sessions.
The article alleges that a Texans staffer provided Watson with the nondisclosure paperwork that Watson insisted the women sign before he paid them. Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing the two dozen women who filed civil lawsuits against Watson, now says he will include the Texans as defendants when the cases reach trial, most likely early in 2023.
Watson, the Browns and the NFL have declined comment about the Times article. The Texans say they have cooperated with various investigations into the Watson matter and will continue to do so. Hardin said, “we can say when the real facts are known this issue will appear in a different light."
The article noted that two grand juries in Texas declined to indict Watson on criminal charges. The article noted that the Harris County prosecutor for sexual cases spoke or emailed Hardin dozens of times before the grand jury decision, while contacting Buzbee only once. Buzbee has said he felt “duped.”
The Times article presents a much different side to Watson than the golden boy image he brought to Houston after winning the national championship with Clemson in 2017. The article describes Watson as a demanding, entitled athlete who hired masseuses with full intentions of having sex with them. The Times also interviewed several women who said Watson behaved properly and did not pursue sex with them. Most, however, said that Watson had sex on his mind during their encounters.
Watson and Hardin have said the parade of masseuses began in 2020 when the Covid pandemic arrived. The Times article says Watson started his pursuit of non-team affiliated masseuses much earlier.
Several of the women who accused Watson of aggressive, sexual behavior in the Times article have not filed civil suits against Watson so accusations by Watson defenders that these women are gold diggers don’t hold.
Reaction to Hardin’s comments about happy endings and the Times article have been swift and vicious. While some defend Watson and claim the masseuses and Buzbee merely are money grubbers out for personal gain, the overwhelming response has been against Watson.
Sports Illustrated has called for the Browns to sideline Watson until the civil suits are resolved. ESPN analysts say it’s time to stop using “comfortable language” like “inappropriate” and “misconduct” and call Watson what they believe he is, a sexual predator. Online comments call Watson a serial liar – to the media, to fans, the NFL, and prosecutors.
When announcing their trade for Watson, the Browns released a statement saying, “We spent a tremendous amount of time exploring and investigating the opportunity to trade for Deshaun Watson. He was humble, sincere and candid in our conversation.”
The Browns have had no comment since the Times article appeared. Watson has had no contact with the media since the press conference announcing his arrival in Cleveland, during which he said he has never “assaulted, disrespected or harassed any woman in my life.” He has denied all the accusations from the start.
Now some question if the Browns did any investigation of Watson before trading for the quarterback and rewarding him with an unprecedented 5-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract.
Did the Browns investigate then what the Times article alleges now? If they did, and the allegations prove true, would they still have traded for Watson, and what would that say about their values? If they didn’t, what does it say about the organization’s professionalism?
Most important, will the Times article have an effect on the NFL’s decision what, if any, punishment will be meted out against Watson?
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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