The Cleveland Browns have been in a turmoil ever since Deshaun Watsons joined the franchise. They gave him a $230 million fully guaranteed contract only for the quarterback to face an 11-game suspension in 2022 and the 11 more missed in the next season after he suffered a fractured shoulder. He finally came back, only to play like a “deer in headlights.”

As the season began, the Cleveland quarterback was accused in another lawsuit that paints him in a more gruesome light. Jane Doe from Houston demanded the matter to be resolved in private and it seems like her attorney, Tony Buzbee, has been able to help Jane Doe break the impasse with Watson.

The victim of the s—ual assault lawsuit pursued Watson for more than a million dollars in settlement. An insightful X post from Robert Littal of Black Sports Online shed more light on the matter. Apparently, per Littal, the woman had video evidence on Watson that she didn’t want to show to the NFL.

Per Littal’s post on X, “Deshaun Watson Settles Latest Massage Assault Lawsuit; Part of The Settlement is The Accuser Won’t Speak to The NFL and Show The Video Evidence She Allegedly Had on Him; Browns No Longer Have an Out on His Contract (Court Docs).” Amidst all this, Tony Buzbee broke silence on the details of the settlement. He declined to disclose any of it.

“We have now resolved our client’s claim with Deshaun Watson,” Buzbee said in a statement. “The settlement is confidential.” Some time ago, Mike Florio did a piece on the court details that emerged and pointed out the gruesome details of the case, per the court transcript. At that point, there was a lot of commotion about the NFL imposing strict actions on Watson, who was previously prescribed therapy post his 11-game suspension in 2022.

One of the Browns’ spokespersons addressed the matter, saying, “We will respect the due process our legal system affords regarding the recent civil suit and follow the NFL’s guidelines on this matter.” However, the NFL guidelines might not be of much use right now.

Can the NFL still intervene in the Deshaun Watson case?

What the NFL might do in this case is still at large. That’s because Watson didn’t commit a crime, reportedly, and since the lawsuit is settled, the NFL might not have much power over Deshaun Watson. The Jane Doe from Houston saw other women come forward to seek justice but was “discouraged” by the Cleveland quarterback’s defense team.

Per sources, Buzbee announced that 20 of 24 women who accused Watson of inappropriate actions settled the lawsuits in June 2022. However, despite all the evidence pointing against Watson, the Browns QB made attempts to maintain his innocence and mentioned that he never “disrespected anyone.”

“I’ve always stood on my innocence and always said that I’ve never a–aulted anyone or disrespected anyone and I’m continuing to stand on that,” Watson said previously. “But at the same time, I have to continue to push forward with my life and my career.” There were also rumors that the Browns might terminate Watson’s contract if he got into more trouble.

However, since the lawsuit is settled, probability of the Browns cutting him from the roster seems very thin. Watson being acquitted of the charges against him doesn’t take away from all the mental trauma, panic attacks, and nervous breakdowns that the victims faced as a result of his alleged inappropriate actions.

It’s even more astonishing that Watson’s legal representatives, Rusty Hardin and Tony Buzbee have been trying to settle the case for 10 months, but there was no resolution. Buzbee alleged, though, that Watson’s legal team wouldn’t pay heed to the case until he decided to take it to the court. It was then that Watson’s representation decided to get in touch with Buzbee.

For now, Watson just wants “to be able to move forward with my career, move forward with my family, my personal life and everything.” The closure of this case has taken away any reason for Brown to annul his contract. However, his dismal performance and Browns’ 1-4 standing might implore the Cleveland team to seek other options.