Why Deshaun Watson Could Miss The Next Two NFL Seasons, Minimum, Given Ongoing Legal Battles

Deshaun Watson miss next two seasons

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  • Deshaun Watson could very well not play in the NFL until the 2023 season.
  • Fox Sports Radio host Ben Maller breaks down why the Texans’ QB could be sidelined for the next two seasons.
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Most assume that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson won’t be taking the field this upcoming NFL season. However, without any sort of resolution in sight involving his ongoing legal battles, Watson may not play in the NFL until 2023. Fox Sports Radio host Ben Maller gave his opinion as to why that very well could be the fate for Watson.

Attorney Rusty Hardin, who represents Watson, recently shared that the NFL has not interviewed his client about the sexual assault allegations from 22 women that led to a civil lawsuit. Given the extremely high likelihood that Watson will be suspended by the league after court ruling and the slow-moving legal system, the 2023 season could honestly be a stretch.

Related: Deshaun Watson’s Lawyer Claims Several Accusers Told Others They Wanted To Get Money Out Of Watson In New Court Filing

Watson isn’t scheduled to give his deposition until February 2022, a few days after the Super Bowl.

“If you look at the timeline on this, barring a drastic sea change, Deshaun Watson will not be playing in an NFL game until at the very minimum 2023,” Maller explained on ‘The Ben Maller Show.’ “That’s the earliest. If everything plays out the way it’s playing out, he’s going to be done until at least 2023.

How did I get to that point? He’s going to be put on the Commissioner’s Exempt List – that’s going to happen likely in the next month before training camp opens up.”

Given that his scheduled deposition date isn’t until February of next year, this likely means a trial date would be set in May of 2022 at the earliest. This could push the trial through parts of July 2022, which is when training camp opens.

“The NFL does not give out time served. Which means when the trial happens, if Deshaun Watson is found guilty in the civil court — and remember the standards is much lower in civil court than criminal court — then the NFL has to come back and say, ‘well, bad news, we’ve got to punish him.'”

Maller went on to explain that a season-long suspension for Watson – if found guilty – would be the likely outcome.