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Following the 2020 season, Watson requested a trade by the Texans after becoming disgruntled with changes in the front office and coaching staff The Texans were not willing to negotiate with other teams regarding trade offers, leading to a standoff with Watson until the emergence of sexual-harassment allegations Despite the off-field controversies and Watson's situation with the team, he participated in OTA activities and training camp, albeit on a limited basis Watson was named to the Texans' 53-man roster to start the season along with free-agent signing Tyrod Taylor and rookie Davis Mills
Texans general manager Nick Caserio stated that he would handle Watson's situation one day at a timeOn March 22, 2021, a 14th lawsuit was filed by a woman who called Watson a serial predator The incident allegedly took place in California, just the second of the 14 allegations to take place outside the Houston area The traveling massage therapist alleged that when she arrived at the address that Watson had provided, he led her to a room and locked the doors behind him
After Watson allegedly forced Plaintiff's hand onto his penis during the massage, he allegedly told her, I will not have you sign an NDA but don't ever talk about this The plaintiff also alleges that Watson reached out on Instagram in December acting as if nothing had happenedDuring his high-school career, Watson set numerous state records, including those for total yards (17,134), total touchdowns , career passing yards (13,077) and career passing touchdowns He rushed for 4,057 yards and 63 touchdowns
Watson excelled in his junior year, winning a state championship and earning accolades such as Junior All-American, 2014 Player to Watch and 2014 Top 100 Recruit During his sophomore and senior years, Watson led Gainesville to the state semifinalsSome news agencies suggested the decline in viewership was primarily about the recent protest by some players of the US anthem In a memo leaked on Twitter to NFL organizations, NFL leadership addressed this concern, stating that they saw no evidence that concern over player protests during the National Anthem is having any material impact on our ratings
On March 19, Buzbee claimed that nine more civil suits had been filed against Watson (for a total of 12) and that 22 women contacted his office regarding Watson's conduct while receiving massages Buzbee requested that the Houston Police Department and the Harris County, Texas, district attorney investigate the situation and pursue criminal charges against Watson One of the nine new civil suits alleges that Watson attempted to kiss a woman forcibly, and another suit alleges that he had attempted to assault the same woman on two separate occasionsA month ago, a postseason return for the first time since 2017 looked well on its way for the Atlanta Falcons
Following a Nov 3 home win over the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta sat at 6-3 with a two-gameIn 2012, the league and the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) became involved in a dispute over the collective bargaining agreement between the two parties Eventually, the league then locked out the officials in June, and turned to replacement officials to officiate the games A month later, the association filed a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board against the league for unfair labor practices
The replacement referees were met with criticism from fans, players and coaches Incidents included the week one Seattle Seahawks–Arizona Cardinals game, where the Seahawks were given an extra timeout, week two where side judge Brian Stropolo was removed from the New Orleans Saints–Carolina Panthers game for being a Saints fan, and the controversial ending to the Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks game in week three In late September, ESPN analyst Chris Mortensen announced that the two groups reached an agreementAshley Solis, the first woman to identify herself, claimed that during a massage appointment at her home, Watson exposed himself and touched her hand with his erect penis before she ended the session and asked him to leave her home
At a press conference, Solis said that she suffers from panic attacks, anxiety and depression resulting from the sexual assault She stated: People say that I'm doing this just for money That is false I come forward now so that Deshaun Watson does not assault another woman
On April 6, two of the 22 women who had filed lawsuits against Watson publicly identified themselves at a press conference Ashley Solis, the first of the women to identify herself, claimed that during a massage appointment at her home, Watson exposed himself and touched her hand with his erect penis before she ended the session and asked him to leave At a press conference, Solis said that she suffers from panic attacks, anxiety and depression resulting from the sexual assault She stated: People say that I'm doing this just for money
That is false I come forward now so that Deshaun Watson does not assault another womanIn the season opener on September 9 against the New England Patriots, Watson returned from injury and threw for 176 yards with a touchdown and an interception and rushed for 40 yards as the Texans lost 27–20 After suffering broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung, Watson took a 12-hour bus ride from Houston to Jacksonville for a Week 7 game against the Jaguars rather than flying because of fears about the effects of air pressure on his chest
He passed for 139 yards and a touchdown in the 20–7 victory The next week, Watson tied his career high with five touchdowns in a 42–23 victory over the Miami DolphinsWatson made his first career start on September 14, his 22nd birthday, in an away game against the Cincinnati Bengals He finished with 125 passing yards, 67 rushing yards and a 49-yard rushing touchdown as the Texans won 13–9
In Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans, he completed 25 of 34 passes for 283 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception while also rushing for 24 yards and a touchdown as the Texans won 57–14 His five total scores tied the NFL rookie touchdown record He also became the first rookie to pass for at least four touchdowns and rush for one touchdown in a game since Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton in 1961 His performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors
Watson followed up his Week 4 performance with another great outing against the Kansas City Chiefs In the 42–34 loss, Watson finished 16-of-31 for 261 yards and five touchdown passes, tying an NFL rookie record for touchdown passes thrown in a single game He also rushed for 31 yards In Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks, Watson posted his first game with over 400 passing yards
He finished with 402 passing yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions and 67 rushing yards, though the Texans lost 41–38 Watson threw 16 touchdowns in the month of October, setting the NFL record for touchdown passes by a rookie in a calendar month He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October
Watson made his first career start on September 14, his 22nd birthday, in an away game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished with 125 passing yards, 67 rushing yards and a 49-yard rushing touchdown as the Texans won 13–9. In Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans, he completed 25 of 34 passes for 283 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception while also rushing for 24 yards and a touchdown as the Texans won 57–14. His five total scores tied the NFL rookie touchdown record. He also became the first rookie to pass for at least four touchdowns and rush for one touchdown in a game since Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton in 1961. His performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Watson followed up his Week 4 performance with another great outing against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the 42–34 loss, Watson finished 16-of-31 for 261 yards and five touchdown passes, tying an NFL rookie record for touchdown passes thrown in a single game. He also rushed for 31 yards. In Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks, Watson posted his first game with over 400 passing yards. He finished with 402 passing yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions and 67 rushing yards, though the Texans lost 41–38. Watson threw 16 touchdowns in the month of October, setting the NFL record for touchdown passes by a rookie in a calendar month. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October.
