The NFL is investigating the latest sexual assault lawsuit filed against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson

The GIST: The NFL is investigating a new lawsuit filed on Monday accusing Cleveland Browns quarterback (QB) Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and battery. Of note, this suit is unrelated to the other 26 civil suits filed against Watson in 2021 and 2022, accusing him of similar sexual misconduct. So horrible.

The context: Watson was first accused of sexual misconduct in 2021 and was inactive for his then-squad, the Houston Texans, that entire season due to these allegations as well as an ongoing contract dispute with the Texans.

• But in March 2022, very aware of the multiple, public lawsuits plaguing the QB, the Browns signed Watson to a fully guaranteed $230M deal — the league’s biggest guaranteed contract at the time. Hmm.

• In August 2022, Watson was suspended from the NFL for 11 games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. At that time, Watson was facing allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment from two dozen women, largely massage therapists in the Houston area. Watson settled 23 out of 24 of the civil lawsuits filed against him that year.

The latest: On Monday, an anonymous woman filed a civil suit against Watson for sexual assault and battery under Texas’ five-year statute of limitations. She claims that Watson asked her on a date in October 2020 and agreed to come to her home for dinner, but he called her before his arrival angrily screaming because he could not find her apartment.

• After she finished putting on her makeup, the woman left her bathroom and found Watson naked, lying face down on her bed and demanding a massage before sexually assaulting her.

• No criminal charges have been filed and Watson has not publicly addressed these new allegations.

What’s next: The NFL will investigate and decide if Watson’s alleged actions (yet again) violate their personal conduct policy and will consider disciplinary action from there. As per his contract, Watson is still owed more than $130M from the Browns.

Zooming out: As discussed on the latest episode of The GIST of It, many pundits believe Watson has underperformed since being picked up by the Browns, causing some to speculate that the organization might leverage this suit to remove themselves from their five-year contract with Watson.

• Unfortunately, this case may perfectly illustrate a sad reality in sports: Entities exploit off-field factors to their advantage — protecting top players while using it as a pretext to cut underperformers. When will it end?