MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

It's really not. It's been Mitch from Day 1. When they interview the players it's always, "Mitch this" and "Mitch that". They aren't intentionally letting the cat out of the bag but it's so obvious it's his job.

 

Correction.. it’s his job to lose.

 

Agreed

 

Tony Buzbee: 20 of the 24 cases against Deshaun Watson have settled



Most of the women suing Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson have agreed to a settlement.

Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing 24 female massage therapists who say Watson engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct during their sessions, announced today that 20 of his clients have settled.


“Today I announce that all cases against Deshaun Watson, with the exception of four, have settled,” Buzbee said in a statement. “We are working through the paperwork related to those settlements. Once we have done so, those particular cases will be dismissed. The terms and amounts of the settlements are confidential. We won’t comment further on the settlements or those cases.”

Settling the cases is a significant step for Watson as he attempts to resume his NFL career, but it in no way means he won’t be suspended by the NFL. What’s beneficial for Watson is that the terms of the settlements will be confidential, making it more likely that Watson can stem the flow of negative information that has done significant damage to his reputation.

But until all 24 cases are settled, Watson remains in jeopardy. And Buzbee indicated that the first plaintiff, Ashley Solis, and three other plaintiffs are continuing to move forward.

“Ashley Solis is one of the heroes of this story. Her case has not settled and thus her story and that of the other three brave women will continue. I look forward to trying these cases in due course, consistent with other docket obligations and the court’s schedule,” Buzbee said.

The NFL’s investigation of potential violations of the league’s personal conduct policy is ongoing.

PFT

 

24 cases should equal 24 games suspended.

 

I wouldn't argue this point if that's what the NFL decided....

Honestly, it would have been better for Watson if they had tried to fast track the cases instead of pushing their agenda to 2023. I don't feel better about settlements, when he has said all along, I want to clear my name in court... now they have paid 20 women to go away and the still have 4 more hanging over their head... What about the other two that were supposed to be entered in either this week or next? Does this in some way stop the bleeding or will we just start building the docket again with more cases to come?

At least if they don't add more cases, 4 should be able to be completed before the 2023 season starts. There is no way they would have had 24+ cases done consecutively finished between March 1st and training camp at the end of July in 2023.

 

Settling on 20 cases is an admission to guilt, in my opinion.

 

I think this ensures a year long suspension... If they had any confidence at all in any of the 20 cases, I would assume they would rather take it to court than pay them off.

 

He still has 4 more chances to clear his name in court. If you think about it, the home run for Watson would have been for Buzbee to file a single case with 24 plaintiffs. Now you have to objectively ask, "why didn't Buzbee do just that?"

You can't settle a civil suit that hasn't been filed. I would be surprised if the settlements didn't have language in them to prevent further cases being filed.

Agreed.

 

"Clear" his name? So, you are on the side of, this is not an admission of guilt then? You know what, don't answer that, it doesn't matter.

TO ME, paying off 20 of 24 cases are admitting there was wrongdoing in those cases. They didn't want to take any chances, or pay lawyer fees, to try them in court, so they probably got a discount when the accountant figured in the settlement costs.

The other 4 cases, including Ashley Solis who started the whole process, are more likely women that were less about the pay and more about the day in court. We will see.. There may be a number that will appease them as well. Either way, this in NO WAY takes any guilt out of the equation as to what did or didn't happen in those rooms. If anything, it gives all 20 cases credibility.

 

It might have language in it that Tony Buzbee will not file any more cases, but there isn't a document in the world that can stop other women from filing cases against Deshaun Watson.

Edit: for the record, you certainly CAN settle before they are filed, it's called hush money which pays for an ironclad non-disclosure and agreement that no further action will be taken in the future.

 

If you're asking that, you don't know anything about how this all works. It's not that simple, nor is it necessarily beneficial.

Confirmed, you don't know how this works. That's cool.

 

I think he was talking about a class action suit, but I'm not sure that would work in this type of case.

 

Personally, I think Buzbee is wiping the floor with Hardin. Hardin has done nothing but hurt his client through this entire process. For those that think Buzbee is a lowlife attorney, he has a better reputation than Hardin.

 

No, it would not. That's why I said he doesn't know what he's talking about.

A reminder that Buzbee and crew offered settlements VERY early on in this process. Watson's team denied because of terms of NDA.

And, to be very clear here for the internet lawyers who have no idea what they're talking about (and have a habit of twisting logic to defend bad people): a settlement doesn't indicate guilt or innocence. Watson's team declining settlements originally and saying that they intend to take all the way through legal process doesn't mean that he's innocent, nor does him settling these cases mean he's guilty. There are way more variables than that. I haven't read much of anything from discovery phase that's been made public, for whatever's out there - that is where you can draw more conclusions.

For example, when Watson noticed that one plaintiff was crying during his massage, and then texted her afterwards saying that his intentions weren't to make her uncomfortable: if I'm getting a massage and the person massaging me is crying - and I am concerned about them - I'm going to ask them right then and there. I'm not going to wait until I'm gone and feel removed from liability to text them, "I didn't intend to make you uncomfortable", especially when I have NO IDEA what they're crying about. If I'm not concerned, I don't text at all. If I know that I made them uncomfortable by my actions but feel awkward about it and don't want to take responsibility for it... well, I might do what Watson did. Just saying.

But that's just picking out one of the MANY details that point to his guilt. The settlement itself doesn't say one way or the other. But boy, the details say a WHOLE LOT, for anyone that has defended him / called the plaintiffs liars / etc.

 

Fair enough.. I am guilty of that and shouldn't

 

I have my own personal feelings about this situation. And I have VERY strong feelings about people leaping to his defense or attacking the plaintiffs despite not knowing nearly enough about the situation.

To me, the evidence we're aware of says that he did this. I have a hard time seeing how anyone could draw a different conclusion.

That said, I've worked in the legal field for a long time, now. You've gotta be objective about stuff like this. We can speculate about the settlements, but NDA's are signed for a reason. The stuff we need to know we will likely never know, and all we can do is speculate based off of the evidence made available to us. For now, there is no definitive answer, it's just your personal judgement. And I know that's not a good feeling, for everyone. We'll see what happens next.

 

Dline thank you for the text statement from Watson. I was trying to stay away from stating any guilt on him but his text to that woman wreaks of guilt as you say. I have the belief now that he should be banned from playing in the NFL now. No reason to let him stay when players with much less dirt for the league to clean up have been. The Browns should get the rest of their picks back from the Texans and their money from Watson. He’s a serial sex offender and doesn’t deserve the privilege of being in the league.

 

Mariotta vs Ridder is going to be very interesting to watch also. I believe in Ridder, I believe he is the future, but the the comp during the OTA's and preseason should be very fun to watch.

 

Mike Tomlin “excited about being uncomfortable” about quarterback

The Steelers have not officially named a starting quarterback for the 2022 season, but they know that it won’t be Ben Roethlisberger and that knowledge alone means head coach Mike Tomlin is approaching this year very differently than he has any other in his tenure.

During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Tomlin said that watching a quarterback with Roethlisberger’s talent “messes up your perception of what’s regular and what’s not” at the position and realizes that he enjoyed the comfort that came with that kind of consistency. Mitch Trubkisky, Kenny Pickett, and Mason Rudolph don’t bring the same comfort, but Tomlin said that he is “excited about being uncomfortable” as the team gets ready for the season.

“I just view the challenges of what lies ahead in that way,” Tomlin said, via Behind the Steel Curtain. “First of all, I’m looking forward to the anxiety associated with that uncertainty. To have to stand and deliver, to live out what we believe in — the standard is the standard. It’s like McDonald’s. You know what a No. 1 is. It doesn’t matter what corner of the globe, a No. 1 is a No. 1, and that’s what I want Pittsburgh Steelers football to be. So it doesn’t matter who puts their hands underneath the center, as far as I’m concerned. But, with all that cool stuff being said, it’s scary. But exciting.”

Roethlisberger’s last few seasons put some distance between the heights of his Steelers tenure and it’s final days, but the standard was a high one for nearly two decades and there’s no guarantees that the team will reach even his lower level when they take the field this fall. That’s a new feeling in Pittsburgh and the team’s results will likely determine how long Tomlin finds it an exciting one.

YAHOO