Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

23rd woman files lawsuit against Browns QB Deshaun Watson

By Zac Wassink | Last updated May 31, 2022 6:41 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns elected to move on from starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and traded for controversial star signal-caller Deshaun Watson in March after it was learned that Watson would not face criminal charges over 22 lawsuits regarding allegations of sexual misconduct. Two grand juries declined to indict Watson.

Two of the women suing him were interviewed for a piece that aired on HBO’s "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" last week. According to Sarah Barshop of ESPN, that television segment resulted in a 23rd woman filing a lawsuit against Watson:

Another lawsuit has been filed against Deshaun Watson. There are now 23 active civil lawsuits filed against the QB. According to the petition, the plaintiff “changed her mind about filing a lawsuit after watching the HBO Real Sports piece” that aired last Tuesday.
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) May 31, 2022

Watson has repeatedly maintained his innocence, and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters last week that the club did "a lot of work on Deshaun the person" before trading for him.

As Mike Florio explained for Pro Football Talk, though, the NFL now has something new to deal with as it considers whether or not to suspend Watson for any part of the 2022 season. A previous report claimed that a league punishment may not be announced until July.

It's assumed Mayfield has played his final down for the Browns, as Cleveland is having journeyman Jacoby Brissett prepare to play in the event Watson is banned for multiple games.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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