Sam Ponder really does not know who Deshaun Watson is and that is what had her emotional today.
Samantha Ponder, wife of former NFL QB Christian Ponder, was given the floor to speak about the Cleveland Browns QB on host of Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN and she took him to task as somebody she thought she knew, but turned out to be somebody completely different after charges brought against him.
During her segment, Ponder got emotional about the QB as she took to to task.
” We are in uncharted territory. There have been star quarterbacks accused of criminal behavior before, accused of inappropriate acts, but not like this. This isn’t, he said. She said. It’s. He said they all said well over two dozen women, 26 lawsuits filed graphic details that paint a sinister, planned and habitual strategy to isolate and sexually abuse relatively powerless women.
When I first heard the early accusations, I’ll admit I didn’t believe it. I’ve known to Sean Watson since his freshman year at Clemson, hugged his mom, interviewed him many times, and considered him a friend. I’ve only personally experienced him as kind, humble, and loving, and if I kept a list of players least likely to do something terrible, he would have been at the top.
But as is always the case, those genuine feelings are judicially irrelevant because I have absolutely no clue what this man has done in private. I don’t know how he treats women when no one else is around, and none of us do. So we have a clear but uncomfortable choice to make, one the Cleveland Browns already made with their money.
Is he a conniving predator or a sympathetic victim? A wolf in sheep’s clothing, or prey to manipulative liars who only see double dollar signs?
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Are we privileged enough to not really have to think about it? Unaffected enough to just move on and cheer as long as he serves his purpose to win games and generate profit? Right.
He missed 11 weeks and paid a fine. He has not been convicted of anything and he vehemently maintained his innocence. But he also apologized to the women he impacted. This isn’t about admitting mistakes and promising to do better. We’re all flawed and we shouldn’t require more out of a ballplayer than we do ourselves. But this is about whether or not Deshaun Watson is a serial sexual abuser.
Unfortunately, we probably won’t ever have any conclusive resolution, but this I do know I am skeptical of literally anyone, including someone I know and care for, who won’t admit to a sin that even the most pious among us haven’t avoided, Deshawn said. He’s never do.”
Here’s how social media responded:
Watson is returning to the field for his first regular-season game in 700 days as he is playing his first official game for the Cleveland Browns Sunday against his former team, the Houston Texans.
Watson sat out the entire 2021 season after he requested to be traded amid damning allegations of sexual misconduct against him. More than two dozen women filed civil lawsuits against him, alleging he exposed himself, touched them or kissed them against their will.
He denied all allegations but settled 23 of the lawsuits. Two others remain pending.
Two grand juries in Texas declined to indict him on criminal charges and he would be traded to the Browns soon afterward. He agreed to an 11-game suspension before the start of the season and was permitted to play in the preseason for the Browns before having to step away from the team until last week.
