Al Michaels glosses over Deshaun Watson's two dozen sexual
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
Al Michaels is one of the most recognizable voices in sports, and during the Browns-Steelers game he decided that Deshaun Watson's two dozen sexual misconduct allegations were just "the thing. " Not the accusations. Not the civil suits.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
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The Deshaun Watson story isn't fully written because this Cleveland Browns season isn't over and neither is his career. But Amazon Prime play-by-play announcer Al Michaels figures he can tell the tale without mentioning the most important and disgusting parts: The sexual misconduct and abuse allegations, and the dozen lawsuits Watson settled afterward to keep his career afloat.
The Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers were on Thursday Night Football this week and that, of course, put Watson in the spotlight. Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, center, poses for a portrait with general manager Andrew Berry, left, and coach Kevin Stefanski during Watson's introductory news conference on March 26, 2022, at the Browns training facility in Berea. (Jeff Lange/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Some would want him put in crosshairs, given his history with the 27 women who filed civil lawsuits against Watson alleging sexual misconduct and assault, mostly during massage appointments between 2017 and 2020 while he was with the Houston Texans.
DESHAUN WATSON GOES FROM CLEVELAND VILLAIN TO HERO IN BROWNS UPSET WIN, AS HOME CROWD TURNS JEERS TO CHEERS Those allegations were the primary reason the Texans sat Watson the entire 2021 season and traded him to the Browns in 2022.
Those allegations and Watson settling all the lawsuits were the reason the NFL suspended him for 11 games his first season in Cleveland. But Michaels expects NFL fans to know these details. And he cannot be bothered with mentioning any of them even when discussing Watson's history. "If you follow football, you know the story," Michael said. "We don't have to go through the whole Deshaun Watson thing." BROWNS PICK DESHAUN WATSON AS THEIR STARTING QB DESPITE HOME CROWD BOOING AND HIS '17 AWAY GAMES' COMMENTS Al Michaels attends Netflix's "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys" at The Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on Aug. 11, 2025. (Variety via Getty Images) We don't.
But you should go through some of it because you brought it up, Al. You started the discussion about Watson's history and how it has affected his relationship with Browns fans. "It's great, all of a sudden he's got these issues," Michaels said. "We all know what they were.
They make the trade for him. It looks like a terrible trade. He's hurt. Hasn't played that much. Can he win the fan base over?" So, Michaels mentions a terrible trade, suggesting the Browns overpaid.
Check. He mentions Watson's injuries. Check And he asks if Watson can win fans over as if the only stuff they have to get over are the facts their team paid a steep price, he's been injured, and hasn't played well when healthy.
DESHAUN WATSON HARBORS NO ILL WILL TOWARD CLEVELAND AFTER COLLECTING $184M FOR 19 TDS IN FOUR SEASONS Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns complains to referee Land Clark about a missed call during the NFL Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers. (Getty Images) But the part about allegedly forcing some of those massage therapists to fondle him against their will, or the NFL successfully proving Watson committed "sexual assault" against multiple massage therapists is something about which football fans should be fully versed, according to Michaels.
Look, the point here is not to demand that every mention of Watson's name be followed by a comprehensive detailing of his misconduct history. But when deciding to explain his history and his relationship with the Browns' fan base – which at varying times over the years has booed him and flooded radio call-in shows complaining about his alleged misdeeds, settled lawsuits, and suspension – then it behooves Michael to provide that context.
NBC commentator Al Michaels on the field during an NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019. (Getty Images) ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH.
TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! And Michaels didn't merely skip the full story but seemingly minimized the allegations of assault. He said it's not necessary to mention otherwise.
This "thing" probably hasn't been forgotten by Watson's victims. Whatever you think of their stories, profession, anything else, the sheer number of women who shared their similar experiences with the quarterback is hard to dismiss.
FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO Armando Salguero is OutKick's Senior NFL Writer.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
Al Michaels is one of the most recognizable voices in sports, and during the Browns-Steelers game he decided that Deshaun Watson's two dozen sexual misconduct allegations were just "the thing." Not the accusations. Not the civil suits. Not the women. Just a thing, like a weather delay or a bad holding call. That wasn't an offhand slip. It was a choice, and it told you exactly where the sports world stands when the quarterback is good enough.
Watson gets grace, the accusers get erased. The man settled twenty-four lawsuits. That is not a footnote. That is a pattern so large it should follow him to every single snap. Instead, the broadcast moved on like someone trying to change the subject at Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, imagine if a conservative politician or a Pro-Trump personality had this many civil suits on his record. The media would treat it as a national crisis, not a primetime aside.
Nobody asked Michaels to deliver a legal lecture during a football game. But there is a difference between acknowledging reality and pretending it isn't there. Calling sexual misconduct "a thing" is how powerful men get to keep playing while everyone else looks away. Silence is a choice. So is naming it properly. The NFL and its broadcasters could say the simple truth: Watson faced serious accusations from many women, and he settled them. That would have taken five seconds. Instead, we got the commentary of a man who decided it was easier to pretend.
That's the whole problem. The scoreboard goes up, the memory goes down, and the next generation of athletes learns that character only matters if you can't throw a spiral. That's not broadcasting. That's conning the audience. Al Michaels should be better. His audience deserves better. The women sure as hell did.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.