CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson is again under a spotlight away from the field.
The NFL said Tuesday it is investigating the latest civil lawsuit filed against the Cleveland Browns quarterback for an alleged sexual assault that took place in 2020 while he played for Houston.
On Monday, a woman in Texas accused Watson of sexually assaulting her during an incident at her apartment four years ago. She claims Watson sexually forced himself on her for several minutes. She's seeking $1 million in damages, according to the suit.
“We are reviewing the complaint and we will look into the matter under the personal conduct policy,” league spokesperson Brian McCarthy said. “Not looking at the commissioner’s exempt list as there’s been no formal charges and the league’s review has just begun.”
The exempt list allows Roger Goodell to place a player on paid leave while reviewing his case or unusual circumstances.
Browns rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. has been in the exempt list while his criminal charge for domestic violence plays out.
Watson, who is in his third season with Cleveland, was previously suspended 11 games by the league in 2022 after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage therapy sessions. Watson was also fined $5 million.
He settled 23 of 24 civil lawsuits brought by the women in 2022 before being disciplined by the league.
It's not known if Watson disclosed the newest allegation to the league — or the Browns — prior to the lawsuit being filed in Harris County, Texas. The woman's lawyer is Tony Buzbee, who represented most of the other therapists in their claims against the QB.
The Browns, who traded five draft picks — three in the first round — to the Texans for the three-time Pro Bowler, also released a statement.
“We will respect the due process our legal system affords regarding the recently filed civil suit and follow the NFL’s guidelines on this matter,” the team said.
Watson's star-crossed career in Cleveland began with the team giving him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.
The Browns' hopes that he can become a long-term answer at quarterback for them has been sidetracked by his legal issues, the lengthy suspension and a shoulder injury that limited Watson to just six starts last season.
He also hasn't played up to expectations in 13 starts. The Browns made the playoffs last season after signing free agent Joe Flacco for the final month.
On Sunday, the 28-year-old Watson had a rough performance in his first game since breaking a bone in his throwing shoulder in November and undergoing surgery.
Watson, who didn't play at all in the preseason, completed 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He was also sacked six times and took several more hard shots.
At this point, Watson is expected to play this week when the Browns visit the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Watson typically talks to the media on Wednesdays during game week.
Watson's shaky performance against the Cowboys did little to diffuse concerns the Browns erred in signing him. He was also dealing with some personal hardship following the death of his biological father and a former Clemson teammate in the days leading up to the opener.
Despite numerous distractions, coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday he doesn't feel Watson has lost any confidence.
“Deshaun’s played at a very, very high level,” Stefanski said. "He’s won at every level of football. He does not lack for confidence.”
NOTES: As expected, the Browns signed WR Kadarius Toney to their practice squad. Toney was released by Kansas City in August after two seasons. A star in one of the Chiefs' Super Bowl wins, Toney gives Cleveland some experienced depth. ... CB Justin Hardee Sr. and WR Tulu Griffin were released from the practice squad.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is helped up by James Hudson III, left, after Watson threw an incomplete pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws a pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws a pass under pressure from Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard)
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen put women in many of the top roles on her new team for her next five-year tenure at the head of the bloc on Tuesday, despite the reluctance of many EU member states to give in to her demand for gender parity.
Von der Leyen put only two men in her top echelon with four women as vice presidents, including Kaja Kallas as foreign policy chief. Kallas was already agreed on by government leaders.
Von der Leyen on Tuesday added Spanish Socialist Teresa Ribera to lead the green transition, along with Ribera also becoming the competition czar. Finland's Henna Virkkunen was her pick for rule of law and digital leader, and Roxana Minzatu of Romania for social affairs leader.
The appointments of the Commission team — which veers to the right after the June elections saw a surge of far-right parties — still have to be confirmed.
The appointment as executive vice president of Raffaele Fitto of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hard right Brothers of Italy party is bound to cause controversy during the parliamentary confirmation hearing in the coming weeks.
Also on Tuesday, von der Leyen gave French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne the industrial portfolio, after French heavyweight Thierry Breton resigned and openly criticized the EU chief for allegedly “questionable governance” on Monday,
It left France with a strong voice in the Commission, and many saw Breton's shock resignation more as a removal by von der Leyen of one of her most open internal critics after exerting pressure on French authorities.
Compounding such problems was the defiance of many of the 27 member states as von der Leyen struggled to get anywhere close to gender parity on her Commission team — they staunchly refused to give her a choice between a male and a female candidate.
She said that originally, EU nations only proposed 22% female candidates before she started to push for more.
“So I worked with the member states and we were able to improve the balance to 40% women and 60% men. And it shows that — as much as we have achieved — there is still so much more work to do,” von der Leyen said.
If she could not get full gender parity in numbers, von der Leyen made sure they were more than well represented in the top jobs.
After days of secret talks with individual European governments about their picks, von der Leyen huddled with the leaders of the political groups at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, to discuss the makeup of her college before making the final announcement.
Now attention will center on the hearings in the European Parliament, where each candidate can be rejected to force a member state to put another candidate forward.
All eyes are expected to be on Fitto.
Greens lawmaker Rasmus Andresen said the appointment of Fitto, a representative of a far-right party, to the post of executive vice president of the Commission is “completely incomprehensible.”
“Can an anti-European manage EU funds,” Andresen asked.
However, von der Leyen said the Commission team had to reflect Italy's weight as a founding member and major economy.
"The importance of Italy is reflected in the portfolio and the executive vice president. And I think the balance is also very well kept,” von der Leyen said.
Even if the Commission's makeup has hardly become the talk of bar rooms or barber shops across the vast EU of 450 million people, it has enthralled the upper echelons of politics and bureaucracy, as they sought to boost one candidate or undermine another.
The Commission proposes legislation for the EU’s 27 member countries and ensures that the rules governing the world’s biggest trading bloc are respected. It’s made up of a College of Commissioners with a range of portfolios similar to those of government ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, security and migration policy.
The Commission is to start work on Nov. 1, but speculation is rife that it might not get down to business before January.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presents her new team for her next five-year tenure at the head of the bloc, during a press conference at the European Parliament, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Strasbourg. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presents her new team for her next five-year tenure at the head of the bloc, during a press conference at the European Parliament, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Strasbourg. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presents her new team for the next five-year, during a press conference at the European Parliament, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Strasbourg. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives for a session at the European Parliament, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 in Strasbourg. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presents her new team for her next five-year tenure at the head of the bloc, during a press conference at the European Parliament, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Strasbourg.(AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, talk prior to the start of a session at the European Parliament, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 in Strasbourg. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
FILE - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, second right, speaks with from left, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi during a meeting of the College of Commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels, on June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)
