Houston Texans’ owner Cal McNair spoke about the Deshaun Watson situation Tuesday as part of a celebration for International Firefighters Day in Houston.
According to the Houston Chronicle, McNair and his wife, Hannah, participated in a celebration, as they presented Rodney West, assistant chief of the Houston Fire Department, with a framed No. 55 jersey. Afterward, McNair met with the media and was asked if there was anything new in the Watson saga.
“I really don’t have anything new,” McNair said via the Houston Chronicle. “There’s ongoing investigations, and we really can’t comment until they run their course.”
Watson is being sued by 22 women for sexual misconduct during massage treatments. The Houston Police Department is also looking into some of the claims, while the NFL is having an ongoing investigation as well.
The former Clemson quarterback claims he did nothing wrong.
Watson requested a trade from the Texans in February, but Houston never listened to any offers. Then in March, he learned he was being sued by the 22 women who alleged sexual misconduct.
Texans’ general manager Nick Caserio said last Friday’s third-round pick of Stanford quarterback Davis Mills has nothing to do with Watson and it is nothing more than creating competition.
Due to trades from previous drafts, Mills was the Texans’ first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, as they took him with the 67th overall pick. Immediately following the pick, speculation on what it meant for Watson’s future in Houston started to grow.
But Caserio insisted it means nothing more than creating competition within his quarterback room.
“It is about trying to create competition across the football team, across all positions,” he said to reporters. “We talked about this on the pre-draft call a couple of weeks ago. That is our philosophy and that is our mindset, and we are going to continue to do that, so that was the rational and the impetus for the pick.”
But do not think trading Watson is not in the cards for Houston. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport says teams are still interested in Watson’s services, despite the legal issues he is tied up in.
“Teams are still interested in potentially trading for Deshaun Watson, or at least they were prior to the draft and I don’t expect the draft to change any of that. I also know the Texans have not yet engaged,” Rapaport said Saturday on the NFL Network prior to the final day of the 2021 NFL Draft. “This is insurance because we do not know what is going to happen to Deshaun Watson.
“Is he going to face discipline from the league? There are so many questions. (Mills) is answering some of those questions and making sure they have a little bit more of a backup plan.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter added, “There are people in league circles who believe Deshaun Watson will not play this season. There are people who believe his career in Houston is over.”
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