QB WATSON EXPRESSES SOME REGRETS
The new lawsuits — and potential for more — against Deshaun Watson may have further damaged his image and swayed opinion about him.
However, they’ve only deepened his resolve.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback reiterated Tuesday that he never committed sexual misconduct alleged by two dozen women in Texas, adding he plans to keep fighting to clear his name.
“I never assaulted anyone,” Watson said following practice as the Browns held their mandatory minicamp. “I never harassed anyone or I never disrespected anyone. I never forced anyone to do anything.”
Watson, who is facing civil lawsuits from 24 massage therapists accusing him of sexual assault and harassment during private sessions when he played for the Houston Texans, stood by previous comments proclaiming his innocence.
While standing by previous remarks, Watson acknowledged that comments he made in March may have negatively affected others.
“I do have regrets as far as the impact that (it’s had) on the community and people outside of just myself,” Watson said. “And that includes my family. That includes this organization. That includes my teammates in this locker room that have to answer to these questions. That includes the fan base of the Cleveland Browns.
“That includes males, females, everyone across the, the world. That’s one thing I do regret is the impact that it’s triggered on so many people. It’s tough to have to deal with.”
QB Jackson ‘looked great’
The Lamar Jackson-toMark Andrews connection — the linchpin of Baltimore’s offense last season — is back on the field.
As expected, Jackson was at practice Tuesday when the Ravens began mandatory minicamp. He’d been absent during voluntary OTAs.
“He looked great,” said Andrews, the team’s star tight end. “You could just tell his energy, just how he feels, I think he’s extremely confident, and the more he’s out here just running the plays, being around the guys, we’re just going to get better and better. It was awesome to see my guy, for sure.”
Media
Richard Sherman has been hired by Amazon Prime Video as an analyst for their first season as the exclusive network for “Thursday Night Football.”
Former Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett will be an analyst on NBC’s “Football Night in America” pregame show this upcoming season.
Notable
The Detroit Lions are giving
Devin Funchess a chance to make a comeback in the NFL.
Detroit signed him as a tight end on Tuesday to add depth to a position group led by
T.J. Hockenson for secondyear coach Dan Campbell.
Funchess, who is from Farmington Hills, Mich., has not played in the league since 2019.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith said he allowed running back and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson to continue his personal offseason workout program instead of joining his teammates on the practice fields.