deshaunwatson

Swarmy

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The NFL received the punishment recommendation for DeShaun Watson yesterday.  It suspends him for six games and imposes no financial fine for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Former federal judge Sue L. Robinson, who was named the independent disciplinary officer in the case, handed down the ruling Monday.

The NFL and The NFL Players Association have about 48 hours left to appeal the decision.

Watson evidently attempted at least 24 passes to 24 different massage therapists. That’s how many came forward as the sordid tale wound through the criminal and civil proceedings.   That’s about how many he settled in civil suits with nondisclosure agreements attached.

Predictably the sports and social media world lit up.  The suspension is too much for some and not enough for others.

Comparisons to previous actions were fast and furious.

How can Calvin Ridley get a full season suspension for betting $1500 on NFL games?  What about Patriots owner Robert Kraft getting off (so to speak) without even a slap on the wrist for a few trips to the local massage parlor himself?  What about Ben Rothlisberger?  This means Alvin Kamara’s on-tape beat down in the Vegas elevator will only be two or three games, won’t it?

On and on it went, and on and on it will continue for a bit.

There are harsh realities to all of this hubbub.

One is that the NFL can do what it wants.  Its only obligation is to its conscious and to its checkbook, not in that order usually.

Make no mistake about it, their number one goal in matters like this is to protect their brand.  That’s why even the appearance of insider gambling is viewed as more grievous, and likely always will be.

In protecting the brand and its ever-increasing franchise values and gushing revenue stream, its fans (read as paying customers) must feel satisfied. That’s why Commish Goodell arranged not only for a female independent officer but a former judge.  Women worldwide are where the next leg up in viewer eyeballs lives.

Expect the NFL to appeal the ruling.  It looks good and has no downside.  The NFLPA has already asked to let the punishment stand.

But, what is Watson guilty of anyway?

Houston PD, its DA, and a grand jury went down the criminal investigation road and declined to file any charges.  Speculate all that you wish, but it’s “he said/she said” in the civil cases and bound by NDA’s.

Usually, where there is smoke there is fire.  And, the NFL’s own investigation found a four-alarm one.

We submit he’s guilty of not feeling guilty.  Denial and/or lying repeatedly isn’t a good look.

He’s maintained all along that he’s done nothing wrong.  And, that unto itself is wrong.  Man up.

This brings us to compare.  Remember Tiger Woods and a dozen or so dalliances he confessed to not long after his nine iron became a hood ornament on his Mercedes?

Tiger knew better.  Tiger confessed.  Tiger suspended himself.  Tiger asked for time. Tiger entered sexual addiction rehab.  Tiger came out the other side a better person for it.  Tiger today is adored by millions.

This has been a terrible look for Watson and by extension the NFL.  And, if nothing else, that’s why the NFL will hand down a six-game suspension at a minimum.

But, by mid-October Watson will be back throwing as many passes on the field as he attempted while on his back off of the field.

Above all, America loves a winner.  Cleveland craves one.

This too shall pass, like it or not.

It just feels swarmy.  Because it is.

 

 

 

 

The Eyes of Texas Are Wandering

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Deep in the heart of Texas hearts have been broken.  Now more are about to be broken.

Last season the Houston Rockets and James Harden broke off an eight-plus-year relationship.  It had its ups and downs and ended without an NBA Championship. The decision was mutual to part.   Weeks later, J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans ended a ten-year relationship.  Together they had more down seasons, but J.J. could hold his head up high walking out of the door.

Fast forward to the now, and wow!

DeShaun Watson, the face of an otherwise faceless Houston Texans franchise wants out long term, but wants in short term.  Fall camp opens tomorrow and Watson’s headed there.  He won’t be there for long as the Texans will send him home to avoid more and more questions about their plans after the tumultuous offseason that Watson has had.

Failure to report would cost Watson a smooth 50k a day in fines.  Reporting, then being told you are no longer loved here saves him that same 50k a day.  Divorces can be messy and expensive you know.  It’ll get worse too.

Persona non-Grata Watson is untradable until his off-field civil and possibly criminal proceedings gain clarity.  But that hasn’t stopped the Texans from asking for all of the jewelry in the split.  The NFL rumor mill whispers that the Texans have floated that they want 5 high draft picks in exchange for Watson.  Marijuana isn’t legal in Texas yet, but the front office might be a bit high with this ask.

We’ll call Watson and the Texans situation a permanent split, final divorce settlement pending.  In these inflationary times, those massages have gotten more and more costly by the hour.

And these dysfunctional relationships are even happening at a younger age.  Colleges suddenly are breaking up, or at least they are about to.   It’s fully expected that the U of Texas and the U of Oklahoma will announce to the Big 12 league offices today that they plan to leave the Big 12 to join the SEC when their contract runs out after the 2024-5 season.

The schools were flirting with the SEC for six months behind closed doors prior to the affairs becoming public knowledge late last week.

Texas A&M liked joining the SEC ten years back. It had the State of Texas’ SEC dance floor all to itself.   Now UT wants to break in right in the middle of the slow song.  A&M doesn’t like to share the dance floor with Texas.  So the SEC and A&M have some hurt feelings to smooth over as well.

The buyout on the UT and Okla Big 12 deals is about 70mil a piece to exit prior to 2025.  But, the extra SEC money will soothe some of that pain and ESPN already jumped in to say they can help a bit as well.  Friends take sides in divorces.

A story broke this AM that the Big 12 is willing to look past this indiscretion and will offer each of the two schools an additional 1/2 of a tv share.  That would turn 37mil a year into 53mil or so for Texas and Oklahoma.

So, for the scorned(Baylor, Texas Tech, Okie St., etc.) the choices at the moment are 1) give up about 3mil a year a school to keep the two tv moneymakers, or 2) look for other suitors.  Relationships are built on compromise (read as lack of leverage).

Will it move the needle?  Follow the money.

The eyes of America are upon them as the eyes of Texas have been wandering.

It Never Ends

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any tougher for the NFL Houston Texans in their offseason of upheaval and discontent it did.  One week you’re releasing the greatest player in the team’s history on the field and best representative (think choir boy) off of it, J.J. Watt.

The next week?  Oh boy.  Yesterday news broke that the franchise’s star quarterback DeShaun Watson has been accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a masseuse.  She claims that during a massage that “Watson went too far.”

Watson, who had his best season on the field in 2020 had already asked repeatedly to be traded in 2021.  He doesn’t like the direction the franchise has taken or not taken to produce a winning culture.   And, now, the Texans will not like the direction Watson has taken.

The Texans are a rare entity in the NFL truth be known.  The founder and owner passed away a year ago and left the future of the franchise to his “in over his head” son Cam McNair.  They place player comportment equal to, if not ahead of, winning.

“This case we just filed against Watson isn’t about money — it’s about dignity and stopping the behavior that should be stopped, NOW!” plaintiff attorney Tony Buzbee said.  Old Tony smells money inside of a nationwide trend, doesn’t he?

Watson uncorked a spiral on Twitter.  “The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing the suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected.”

Of course, everyone is innocent until proven guilty in the good old USA, right?  Well, in today’s #metoo and cancel culture environment that old “innocent until proven guilty” right might be true in a court case, but in the court of public opinion that isn’t always the case.

Shouldn’t this be a criminal investigation?  Is it?  Will it be?  At this time, details, if any exist to that end, are not known.

Sex, fame, money, and power.  They all sleep in the same bed.  It’s just how they all get played or paid out that determines the eventual outcome.  False claims can pay as well.

Ask Judge Kavanaugh, Donald Trump,  Bill Clinton, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffery Epstein, or Andrew Cuomo.  While the seriousness of the charges varies, so do the answers.  Seemingly innocent, hush money talks, guilty, very guilty, suicide, and wait and see come to mind.

Or, ask Robert Kraft, New England Patriots owner.  His videoed massage(or massages) and subsequent charges of soliciting prostitution were so tied up in court with his lawyers blocking the prosecution that they dropped the charges.

As an aside, if the Texans were serious about trading Watson, the return that they can expect just took a nosedive.  If Watson is really serious about getting traded he actually helped his cause.

It’s a sordid world that we live in.

The “breaking” stories are never-ending.

But, we suspect many have a happy ending.