"He believes he’s done nothing wrong" - Shannon Sharpe claims Deshaun Watson is baffled by motivation behind victims’ lawsuits

Deshaun Watson's name has seen a fall from grace in the wake of a sea of allegations of sexual misconduct against him. According to 247 Sports, the quarterback was asked about the allegations at a press conference this week. He denied any truth behind the roughly 26 accusations of sexual misconduct.

One NFL analyst broke down his statement and took a deep dive into the quarterback's state of mind. Speaking on Undisputed, Shannon Sharpe claimed that the quarterback was genuinely confused as to why the victims were so hurt. Here's how he put it:

"I'm not surprised. He's maintained his innocence throughout this process. And he continued to do that yesterday. And people say, 'Why don't he just apologize?' [but] apologizing will mean some level of guilt."

Sharpe continued, explaining why apologizing could ruin the Browns signal-caller's case:

"And the last thing you want to do [is apologize.] Because we're going to track [that] right into court and say 'this man apologized.' 'Well, Mr. Watson, what were you apologizing for?' So you have to maintain [your innocence]. I didn't hear anything yesterday that says 'he's guilty' or 'he's innocent.'"

According to Sharpe, Watson believes he has done nothing wrong and thus has nothing to apologize for.

"He just maintained this has been his stance from the very beginning, that 'I'm innocent of what they're saying I've done.' Now, it is hard for me to believe that... In Deshaun Watson's mind, he believes that he's done nothing wrong. I believe that in his heart of hearts, he believes he's done nothing wrong."

Deshaun Watson's financial growth despite allegations

Cleveland Browns Introduce Quarterback Deshaun Watson

Between the time the first allegations were made in early 2021 and the most recent ones in June, the quarterback has not played a single down in the NFL. However, he's found his way to a new team with a superior roster and a monumental pay rise.

The Houston Texans initially drafted Watson in 2017. After four seasons, the final of which ended with a 4-12 record, the quarterback decided he wanted out. Around the same time, he was hit by a slew of allegations and missed the entire 2021-22 season.

After the criminal charges were thrown out earlier this year, he was able to find a new home in Cleveland.

According to Spotrac, the signal-caller moved from a four-year, roughly $14 million deal at Houston to a four-year, $230 million deal at Cleveland with every penny fully guaranteed.

When will he play his first snap for the team? With the NFL investigation and civil lawsuits still ongoing, the answer remains unclear.

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