What was that quote about desperation again? Here’s the thing. A team like the Chicago Bears should be described as a person trapped on a barren island for the last week before being rescued. They’re alive but starving. That means they’re willing to eat or drink almost anything. That feels like the state this organization has reached at the quarterback position. A state where they’re willing to sacrifice their moral standards in order to satiate their hunger for a quarterback. Enter Deshaun Watson.
It’s incredible to think just a month ago the Houston Texans superstar was considered the holy grail of QB needy teams. A guy in his prime at the most important position in sports wanting out of his current situation. It felt like Houston would be forced to move him sooner or later. Now? Watson’s squeaky clean reputation is staining more and more each day as multiple women come forward accusing him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.
The current tally is up to 22 women. Not a great look.
A lot of people think this means Watson is heading to prison. That is not the case. At least right now. All of the situations mentioned are civil suits. In other words, if Watson were found guilty he’d be forced to pay the plaintiffs a certain sum of money in compensation. While this doesn’t shield the QB from possible suspension, it also doesn’t mean he won’t play in 2021. That is why a number of teams remain in contact with Houston about a potential trade. According to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, Chicago is one of them.
“The Bears have been one of a handful of teams still in contact with the Houston Texans regarding Deshaun Watson – a player many in the league believe will not face serious legal issues beyond the current civil complaints.”
This may stun a lot of people given how often the Bears champion high character and moral values. Yet should it? Remember the two guys at the top running this show. Ryan Pace came from New Orleans and was part of the organization during their infamous Bountygate scandal in 2012. Matt Nagy watched the Kansas City Chiefs employ Tyreek Hill, a man accused of assaulting his girlfriend on multiple occasions and even breaking his child’s arm. Yet the Chiefs don’t seem to mind it that much given what he does for them on Sundays.
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Deshaun Watson being a bad guy doesn’t matter
Facts are facts. The NFL is not made up exclusively of good people. There are a lot of bad eggs scattered in the bunch. The problem is some of those bad eggs are really good at their jobs. Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of assaulting women in the past. He remains a Pittsburgh Steelers legend. Adrian Peterson beat his own child with a switch. Teams keep signing him to this day. Michael Vick went to prison for dogfighting and ended up on a roster not long after he was released.
Being a good person isn’t a prerequisite to success in sports. Nor are teams given extra credit for avoiding players of shady character. Deshaun Watson will be a PR nightmare for anybody that acquires him. In the short-term anyway. Provided he keeps out of trouble moving forward, people will forget about this issue he’s going through. Especially if he plays great and wins a lot of football games. Perhaps the Bears have finally reached this realization.
Nobody ever accused several of the ’85 Bears to be saints.
They weren’t. Watson might be innocent but the sheer number of complaints against him doesn’t paint a pretty picture. He might be a sexual creep, which is a real shame considering all the charity work he’s done over the years. Yet does that have any effect on his ability to throw a football well on Sundays? No. No, it does not.