The Cleveland Browns said they did their due diligence and thorough research into Deshaun Watson before acquiring the controversial quarterback from the Houston Texans.
It seems the organization’s definition of thorough is going to be questioned.
The Athletic did a piece on how the trade came together with plenty of intriguing details, especially who Browns management spoke to about Watson before trading a bunch of draft picks for the QB who still has 22 civil suits alleging sexual harassment and assault in his future.
The Browns say they received overwhelmingly positive feedback from people in Watson’s past and maintain they investigated the accusations, but they did not contact Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing the accusers, for fear that their interest would become public.
They did, however, speak extensively with three female attorneys associated with Hardin’s defense team. They were the women, including attorney Letitia Quinones, who vetted Watson on whether or not to take the case. They went to Georgia, where Watson was staying and spent two days gathering information before agreeing to represent him. What the attorneys told the Browns about the case went a long way toward getting the Haslams comfortable with moving forward and pursuing a trade for Watson.
So, the Browns spoke to three attorneys with the team representing Watson and didn’t reach out to anyone from the alleged victims’ side.
That’s not exactly what one would consider thorough scouting, is it?