The NFL released videos for their Top 100 Players of 2021, which included Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson as #18. Less of a celebration, Watson’s video had a somber tone compared to other player’s videos, and the narrator said at one point that Watson’s “future is uncertain.”
“The Deshaun Watson NFL Top 100 clip is so gloomy and awkward. Video lasts just one minute and 20 seconds, they had no players talk about him, and they started off with: “Nobody knows when Deshaun Watson will take the field again. His future is uncertain,” sports blogger Ari Meirov posted on Twitter :
“Nobody knows when Deshaun Watson will take the field again,” the narrator ominously said.
Sports Illustrated called the video “cringeworthy.”
Sporting News said it was “uncomfortable.”
The New York Post called the video “painfully awkward.”
“The video didn’t feature standard player interviews from peers and teammates,” the Post said, and linked to Buffalo Bills Stefon Diggs’ video, #11 on the Top 100, which is markedly more upbeat and positive than Watson’s and includes interviews with Bill’s tackle Dion Dawkins, Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White, Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater, Browns wide receiver Jarris Landry, and others.
In an Aug. 2, 2021 file photo, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson practices with the team during NFL football practice in Houston. Attorneys involved in the lawsuits accusing Watson of sexual assault and harassment say the FBI has become involved in the case. Tony Buzbee, the attorney for the 22 women who have sued Watson, said Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 he and some of his clients have spoken with FBI agents about the allegations against Watson. (AP Photo/Justin Rex)
Watson has made headlines this year after more than twenty women, many of them masseuses, have come forward to claim sexual abuse from the 25-year-old quarterback. A Texas grand jury sent out subpoenas on August 13, months after 22 women filed assault charges against Watson, varying from verbal abuse to forcible sexual assault.
Since no official charges have been filed by any prosecutors, the league has made no move to sanction Watson.
This is the fourth year that NFL players have voted Watson, who led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards last season, into the Top 100.
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