Deshaun Watson: The Intersection of Fantasy and Reality

Ellis Johnson takes a look at the allegations against Deshaun Watson and what it means when fantasy football intersects with reality.

In 2020, a prominent writer and analyst for FantasyPros lost his job following inappropriate comments and exchanges with multiple individuals, primarily women, over social media. His actions were viewed as appalling and were accepted by the fantasy football community to be deserving of the repercussions. Despite this, there are multiple players in the National Football League (NFL) who have been charged with domestic violence and abuse that are praised and supported every Thursday, Sunday, and Monday by the same fantasy football community. 

NFL players are notorious for off-field criminal allegations, charges and convictions in relation to violent or abusive behavior. Particularly, the current allegations against Deshaun Watson in 2021 and 2022 have brought attention to these issues to a new level. Watson had 26 sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against him. Despite this, he recently signed a fully guaranteed contract worth 230 million dollars.

Something doesn’t add up, but we’ll get to that later in this article. Outside of Watson, legal issues and NFL stars are not a new problem with well-known stories involving OJ Simpson in 1994, Ray Rice in 2014, Johnny Manziel in 2016, Chad Wheeler in 2020, and Alvin Kamara in 2022. Despite these high-profile arrests and allegations, legal issues related to violence or abuse continue to permeate the league. In what has become a time for change on so many fronts, perhaps it’s time that we—as fantasy managers—re-evaluate our approach towards these players.

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Fantasy Football

Fantasy football is rapidly becoming one of the most popular activities in the world and is estimated to be played by over 40 million people (Willingham, 2020). The fantasy football market in 2015 was valued at a remarkable 18.6 billion dollars, and the market has only grown from there. In 2015 that was six billion dollars more than the estimated National NFL revenue and four and a half times the value of the richest NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys (Padia, 2022).

Fantasy football’s extraordinary growth increased 270% between 2003 and 2015. In fact, money invested in fantasy football has overtaken traditional NFL sports book gambling (Padia, 2022). Long story short, fantasy football has taken the sports world by storm and is an economic force to be reckoned with. As a new way of playing football has emerged, when serious off-field allegations come to light, discussions between fantasy managers give a passing acknowledgement of the player’s behavioural transgression with conversations that quickly fall back to fantasy football statistics and outcomes. 

Before we get into the actions of NFL players, let's describe what fantasy football is. The purpose of the game is to select a group of real NFL players that will form an individual’s fantasy team. These NFL players’ performances in real life are directly correlated to a number of fantasy points. Fantasy points are a fictitious metric that is used to assign a value to an NFL player’s real-time game statistics.

Typically these points are associated with the number of yards or touchdowns a player gets. As these players are accumulating points by playing in NFL games, the sum of these points will be assigned to the fantasy manager’s team. This total will then be used to “play against '' (compared to) other teams’ totals in the league made of various different NFL players. The team whose players accumulated the largest sum will win against the other team(s).

To some, the concept of fantasy football might sound ridiculous. However, people take fantasy very seriously and participation can be a form of escapism as well as for monetary gain (typically through gambling). When money is on the line, on-field performance is emphasized above all outside factors. It is because of these various motivations that I want to clarify that the intention of this article is not to judge any fantasy football manager or fan for rostering, playing, or trading certain individuals. At the end of the day, fantasy football is primarily for individual enjoyment and managers can determine their own course of action accordingly.

How big is the issue of player off-field violence in the National Football League?

Of the NFL Players arrested for violent crimes, 48% are for domestic violence. NFL players between the ages of 25-29 are also arrested 55.4% more than the national average for males of that age. Despite this, the majority of the accused or charged NFL players are given a second, third, and sometimes fourth chance by different organizations.

There are many studies on abuse illustrating that the reported numbers of violence significantly underestimate the reality of abuse that is happening to victims of all age groups. One study showed that in America one in four women and one in nine men have been victims of domestic abuse (Huecker & Smock 2020); as per the National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA), it was also found that on average, women will not report the abuse until the 35th incident and that between 30-60% of males who physically abuse their wives also abuse their kids (Trevillion et al., 2020).

It is important to remember the other side of these charges: the victims. Abuse can cause long-lasting, and sometimes permanent, effects on the victims. Child abuse often leads to an increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), aggressive behavior, anxiety, impaired development, and a higher incidence of substance abuse (Trevillion et al., 2020).

Additionally, it was found that 48.2% and 32.7% of all domestic abuse victims will develop depression and PTSD, respectively (Salcioglu et al., 2017). Ultimately, the NSPA identified that up to 23% of domestic abuse victims will attempt suicide in their lifetime, compared to the 3% of individuals with no previous abuse. I bring up these statistics to emphasize that when we are discussing domestic abuse, assault, or battery, victims can be severely impacted.            

Inconsistent Repercussions By The NFL

Between 2006 and October 2014, law enforcement pursued 50 cases involving NFL players accused of domestic violence. In 26% of these cases, the league suspended or deactivated a player for one game. Of the remaining cases, 32% avoided suspension, and 30% were released or dropped from their current NFL team. It is important to note that the majority of the players who were released were viewed to have marginal NFL talent.

Although it may be unfair to correlate talent and repercussions related to abuse charges, it is worth examining. I would like to highlight four cases that occurred over two separate time periods (Schrotenboer, 2014).

 In 2008, two Pittsburgh Steelers players were arrested within two weeks of each other. Both star linebacker James Harrison and backup wide receiver Cedrick Wilson were arrested for assault. The police report of the Harrison case indicated that he broke down his girlfriend’s bedroom door and took her phone as she tried to call 911. He then broke the phone and slapped her, knocking off her glasses.

In the second case, Wilson was accused of punching his partner in a restaurant. Despite playing for the same team, Harrison proceeded to play every game of the 2008 season (except one as a result of injury). Wilson, on the other hand, was released from the team a day after his arrest. After his release, the team chairman Dan Rooney made a statement saying the move will “indicate our intentions and send a message that we will not tolerate this type of conduct.” Meanwhile, Harrison went on to play in the NFL for nine more seasons, seven of which were with the Steelers. 

Secondly, at the end of 2010, two players were charged with domestic violence within one month of each other. One was former Pro Bowl defensive end Will Smith, and the other was undrafted linebacker Kevin Alexander who primarily played on the practice squad. For Smith, he was observed arguing and dragging/pulling his wife by the hair. He then went on to play the team’s final six games, including one playoff game. No suspension for his abuse charge followed.

As for Alexander, his girlfriend claimed he hit her and pushed her to the ground. Before any legal action took place, he was released by the team hours after the news broke. Within the next month, his charges were dropped by prosecutors and he never played in the NFL again.

Inconsistencies are not only displayed within the NFL but also when comparing NFL players and the fantasy football community. A common dissociation made by fantasy managers is the idea that the criminal actions of players are irrelevant in the game of fantasy football as the players are “just fantasy assets.'' This opinion reflects an underlying issue in the fantasy community where fantasy managers hold players to a different standard.

We forget that these are real people, with families, friends, and hobbies. Their job provides a means of supporting their family and community, just as we do with our jobs. The difference is that many people look up to these players, and some model their behavior, actions, and values from them. Should they not at least be held to the same moral standards as the rest of society? 

Deshaun Watson: The Intersection of Fantasy and Reality

 The fantasy community constantly defends itself by focusing deliberately on the statistics as opposed to the individual. These numbers provide a façade for us, fantasy players, to hide behind. At the end of the day, the more yards, touchdowns, and receptions a player gets are directly related to our personal success, as well as directly related to their personal success. Contracts revolve around talent and on-field success, much like our fantasy teams. Therefore, is it much different to cheer for players’ on-field successes than to cheer for the player themselves? 

 In what has become one of the most controversial trades and signings of all time, I would like to use Deshaun Watson to illustrate the situation between fantasy football and reality. Before I begin, here is some background on Watson. After being drafted by the Houston Texans in 2017, he led the team to consecutive division titles in 2018 and 2019, as well as led the league in passing yards in 2020. All three of these accomplishments instantly crowned him one of the best young quarterbacks in the league and the future of the NFL. He did all of this before the age of 26.

On March 16th, 2021, a Houston massage therapist filed the first of 26 sexual misconduct lawsuits against Watson. Each case described similarities between the victim’s experiences and all discussed Watson making inappropriate advances. Despite Watson claiming that he has “never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect,” one of the lawsuits claims he reached out to a victim and apologized.

Watson’s attorney has also admitted that some (allegedly) consensual sexual activity took place with some of the masseuses, and also made a statement blatantly normalizing “happy endings” after massages. The 26 victims, on the other hand, provide detailed and graphic recollections of non-consensual and forceful interactions (Reiss, 2022). Furthermore, a New York Times article by Jenny Vrentas concluded that Watson visited at least 66 women in 17 months for massages.

Many current and former professional athletes have stated that seeing 66 individuals (nearly four different individuals per month) for massages is unnecessary and unheard of. The situation continues to raise questions as Watson contacted most of the individuals by direct messages over social media, dismissing the team’s resources and contacts that offer similar services. Since then, 20 of the cases have reached settlements, and after the NFL appealed the initial proposition of a six-game suspension, he will now face an 11-game suspension and a five million dollar fine.

The final piece to the Deshaun Watson puzzle is his recent trade and signing with the Cleveland Browns. Supposedly understanding the legal situation, the organization traded three first-round picks, two third-round picks, and a fourth-round pick for Watson. For those who are unfamiliar with the NFL, Watson is the first player to be dealt for three or more first-round picks in NFL history. Not only did the trade shock the NFL, but the Browns added insult to injury when the contract details were released.

In 2022, Watson signed a five-year, 230 million dollar, fully-guaranteed deal. Unfortunately, fully guaranteed means exactly what you think. For perspective, the previous highest guaranteed money was 101 million, given out early the same offseason. Finally, in what has to be viewed as a blatant dismissal of humanity, the Browns structured the first year of the deal to pay Watson a minimum base salary of ~1 million, and pay the rest (~45 million) as a signing bonus.

This is significant because outside of the fine, the suspension by the league will come out of his base salary and NOT his signing bonus (Smith, 2022). Ultimately, the deal “happens” to be structured to ensure that Watson loses the least amount of money possible. If actions could flip the bird to league discipline, this might be it.

Of course, the Browns organization denies that this financial protection was the intent of how the deal was structured. I would share more quotations from the organization, however, multiple journalists and sites refer to their statements as “surface level and hollow”, which I think says enough (the Score has an excellent article by Dom Consentino called Deciphering the spin on the Browns ‘ Statements about Watson if you would like to read more).

What isn’t surface level or hollow, are the facts about sexual abuse cases. Of every 1,000 sexual assaults, 975 perpetrators will walk free (RAINN, 2022). Regardless of how the NFL decides to handle it, this statistic and the voices of courageous women should not be forgotten. To hear more about the individual’s stories, Season 28, episode 05 of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, interviews some of the victims in the Watson case (warning, this resource may be difficult and emotionally upsetting to some).

 Let’s take a deep breath. Some things are out of our control, and we need to look toward the future. For myself, and many other football fans, the fantasy football season is right around the corner. So what can we do with players like Deshaun Watson? Immediately following Watson’s trade and sexual misconduct allegations, fantasy managers discussed what his current “value” was.

Over the summer, this led to his positional rank moving from the 25th best quarterback to the seventh overall quarterback in the months following the news that he will return to the NFL. With this rank, many fantasy managers will be rostering him with the “hopes” that when he returns to the field, he will produce for their fantasy team. Should fantasy players be “hoping” he “overcomes” his charges and league discipline simply for the success of their fantasy team? 

Is it possible to balance a player’s fantasy success with their off-field actions?

These are very personal questions that will have answers which vary between leagues, communities, and cultures. Ultimately, it may be unrealistic to address all players’ off-field misdemeanours when discussing fantasy. Despite this, it is crucial for the fantasy football community at large to determine how to handle certain individuals who have harmed multiple individuals off the field of play.

Watson is not only the most current example but also one of the largest legal cases in athletic history with regard to the number of victims and financial contract value. Some managers will not roster Watson in any of my leagues. In fact, there are fantasy analysts that produce weekly and season-long rankings of fantasy players, which will not include Watson. This narrows the gap between fantasy and reality as these actions incorporate the player and the person, together.  

 Many may view the situation differently, and I would not judge anyone for their decision. I would like to strongly encourage fantasy managers to consider the broader implications of drafting such a player for their personal teams. For those who believe that their fantasy decision will not have any “real” impact, here are some more statistics about fantasy sports.

In 2020, it was estimated that fantasy sports were played by 60 million people in North America and were worth billions of dollars. It may not seem so at the time, but the fantasy community can come together and make a statement against these players. After all, one in every six women has been a victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. We all know six women in our lives. I challenge you to think about what that statistic means before cheering for certain individuals on your fantasy team. 

Conclusion

I would like to reiterate that the intention of this article is not to tell fantasy managers what they should and should not do. Instead, the goal is to elaborate on this often overlooked aspect of fantasy football in the hope of generating discussion – perhaps the next time a manager goes to acquire a player facing charges for sexual assault or violence, they really think about the person they're getting and the broader implications.

If we are drafting these players and cheering for their success, we are giving a portion of our support to the person behind the statistics as well. This is not to say that players need to be perfect and that we have to agree with everything they do, but when another life is gravely impacted by their actions, we all have a responsibility to hold players accountable.

As a result, fantasy managers often use measures like the beginning of the season schedule or total projected offensive output to settle a tie-break between certain players on draft day. One suggestion is to incorporate off-field actions, whether positive or negative, in player evaluations. At the end of the day, whether you’re cheering for one more catch on Sunday or cheering for the individual player and all they stand for, they both sound the same to the people around you.

Thank you,

Ellis Bryn Johnson

Pronouns: He/Him

Bachelor of Human Kinetics, University of British Columbia

M.Sc. Candidate, Sociocultural Aspects of Sport, University of Calgary

References

Huecker M.R, & Smock W. (2020) Domestic Violence. StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499891/

Padia, V. (2022). Green football: The 10 richest NFL teams, as of 2022. TheRichest. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.therichest.com/rich-powerful/green-football-the-10-richest-nfl-teams-as-of-2022/

Reiss, A. (2022). Timeline of Deshaun Watson sexual assault lawsuits. The Athletic. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://theathletic.com/2496073/2022/06/14/deshaun-watson-sexual-assault/

Salcioglu, E., Urhan, S., Pirinccioglu, T., & Aydin, S. (2017). Anticipatory fear and helplessness predict PTSD and depression in domestic violence survivors. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(1), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000200

Schrotenboer, B. (2014). History of leniency: NFL domestic cases under Goodell. USA Today. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/10/01/nfl-domestic-abuse-history-under-roger-goodell/16566615/

Smith, M. D. (2022). Browns say Deshaun Watson's contract wasn't structured to help him if he's suspended. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://sports.yahoo.com/browns-deshaun-watson-contract-wasn-175135642.html#:~:text=The%20enormous%20new%20contract%20that,sexually%20assaulting%20female%20massage%20therapists

Statistics, RAINN. (2022). Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.rainn.org/statistics

Trevillion, K., Oram, S., Feder, G., & Howard, L. M. (2012). Experiences of domestic violence and mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS One, 7(12), e51740. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051740

Willingham, A. J. (2020, December 5). Fantasy football is a billion-dollar pastime. covid-19 is wreaking havoc with it. CNN. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/05/us/fantasy-football-coronavirus-challenges-trnd/index.html

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