Watson’s status unchanged despite another civil lawsuit

Deshaun Watson’s status with the NFL has not changed even though the suspended Cleveland Browns quarterback has been named in a new civil lawsuit by another woman alleging sexual misconduct two years ago.

Watson is almost halfway through serving an 11-game suspension for alleged sexual misconduct while he played for the Houston Texans. Two dozen women previously claimed he was sexually inappropriate during massage therapy sessions.

On Thursday, a 26th woman filed a lawsuit in Texas that alleges Watson pressured her into performing a sex act after a massage in 2020. Watson has settled 23 of 24 previous lawsuits filed against him, one was dropped.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the latest lawsuit does not impact Watson’s current standing. However, the 27-yearold could face more discipline if he is found to have further violated the league’s conduct code.

“We will monitor developments in the newly-filed litigation; and any conduct that warrants further investigation or possible additional sanctions would be addressed within the Personal Conduct Policy,” McCarthy said in an email.

Because the latest allegations were from an encounter in the same time frame as the others, and it took place before Watson agreed to a settlement, there’s no need for the league to act. As long as Watson abides by conditions of his agreement with the league, he’ll be eligible to play again in December.

Attorney Anissah Nguyen, who is representing the newest plaintiff, said she intends to depose Watson by the end of 2022. She said her client has spent two years “struggling to cope with trauma from all that he stole from her.”

Browns starting defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and top cornerback Denzel Ward will miss Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots with injuries.

Clowney has been dealing with ankle, knee and elbow issues this week and was limited in practice. He came back after missing two games with an ankle injury and played last week against the Chargers.

Coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn’t reveal if Clowney suffered any setbacks, just that he isn’t ready to play.

Ward has not cleared concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in the fourth quarter while trying to make a tackle in last week’s game. The two-time Pro Bowler has been in the league’s protocols since getting hurt.

This is Ward’s third concussion in the NFL. He had two during his rookie season in 2018.

Walker will get the start at quarterback for Panthers

P.J. Walker will start at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday against the Rams, but interim head coach Steve Wilks is hopeful Baker Mayfield will serve as his backup.

Mayfield hasn’t practiced all week because of a high ankle sprain and is listed as doubtful. The team is awaiting a final MRI before making a decision on whether to activate him.

Jacob Eason could be called up from the practice squad to serve as the No. 2 QB if the Panthers decide not to activate Mayfield.

Walker is 2-0 as an NFL starter, winning games in 2020 and 2021 for the Panthers, but he has only completed 57% of his passes with eight interceptions and two touchdown passes.

It’s a reversal of fortune for Packers in turnover margin

When the Green Bay Packers have forced at least one turnover during Matt LaFleur’s coaching tenure, they nearly always have won the game.

The problem is they aren’t producing enough takeaways yet this season and they’re off to their worst five-game start since LaFleur’s arrival in 2019. The Packers (3-2) will try to correct that problem Sunday when they host the New York Jets (3-2).

“Those will come in bunches,” safety Adrian Amos said. “And they’re going to come soon.”

The Packers have thrived on taking the ball away and protecting it on offense since LaFleur arrived as coach in 2019. The Packers’ plus-32 turnover margin from 2019-21 led all NFL teams during that stretch.

Green Bay owns a 37-1 regular-season record under LaFleur when it produces at least one takeaway, the exception coming in a 34-31 overtime loss at Indianapolis on 2020.

The Packers are 30-0 when they have produced more takeaways than their opponent in regular-season games LaFleur has coached.

But the Packers have committed more turnovers (seven) than they’ve forced (four) so far this season. Their minus-3 turnover margin ranks 28th out of 32 NFL teams, ahead of only the Rams, Indianapolis, Washington and New Orleans.

“We know it’s an important part of this game, and when you’re sitting at minus-3 for the year, that’s not good,” LaFleur said. “We have yet to win the turnover battle in any of these games.”