The Case Against Deshaun Watson

<p><i>This episode contains details of alleged sexual assault. </i></p><p>In the past year, more than 20 different women have accused the star N.F.L. quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct.</p><p>Despite the allegations, Watson has signed one of the most lucrative contracts in the history of football, with the Cleveland Browns, and will take the field today for training camp.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/jenny-vrentas?smid=pc-thedaily">Jenny Vrentas</a>, a sports reporter for The New York Times.</p><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>The<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/sports/football/deshaun-watson-settlement-texans.html"> accusations have been frequent and startling</a>: More than two dozen women have said that Watson<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/sports/football/deshaun-watson.html"> harassed or assaulted them</a>. Watson and his lawyers say the encounters were innocuous.</li><li>N.F.L. players pay a small price when accused of violence against women,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/sports/football/nfl-players-pay-a-small-price-when-accused-of-violence-against-women.html"> a peer-reviewed study</a> has found.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>