The Cleveland Browns have made the decision to excuse quarterback Baker Mayfield from the team’s minicamp, scheduled for next week. Jeremy Fowler, who covers the NFL for ESPN, reported the news early on Wednesday afternoon:
The Browns and QB Baker Mayfield have decided that he will be excused from minicamp next week, per sources.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 8, 2022
The move comes as the organization continues to grapple with the ongoing legal situation regarding their new quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Watson is currently facing two dozen civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault, and according to explosive new reporting from Jenny Vrentas of The New York Times, the quarterback engaged in “more questionable behavior than previously known.”
Furthermore, his former team, the Houston Texans, not only provided the venue Watson used for some of the appointments, but also provided him with a nondisclosure agreement to use:
Yet a New York Times examination of records, including depositions and evidence for the civil lawsuits as well as interviews of some of the women, showed that Watson engaged in more questionable behavior than previously known.
The Times’s review also showed that Watson’s conduct was enabled, knowingly or not, by the team he played for at the time, the Houston Texans, which provided the venue Watson used for some of the appointments. A team representative also furnished him with a nondisclosure agreement after a woman who is now suing him threatened online to expose his behavior.
The NFL is reportedly close to completing their own investigation into Watson’s behavior, which could result in punishment from the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell.
As for Mayfield, after the Browns extended Watson a massive contract, it was expected that the organization would look to move the quarterback. However, with the potential of a lengthy suspension looming over Watson, there might be a need for Mayfield in Cleveland after all.
