vorbis

I think the dribbling out of the new cases has been strategic on Buzbee's part. and as sleazy as Buzbee may or may not be, he 100% knows better than to take these kinds of steps if he doesn't have some legit evidence to make his case. what might have seemed like desperate publicity-seeking in the first day or two of this story may turn out to be Buzbee putting the leverage squeeze on Watson, because he knows he's got him by the short and curlies. I also think it's not out of the question that Buzbee is still very prepared to settle. in his mind, he may even think the settlement number is extremely reasonable, and something Watson should accept ASAP. or even that Watson should have accepted in the first place (see: "Attention-seeking plaintiff" "Six-figure settlement offer" "But this isn't about money for me, it's about clearing my name" from Watson's only statement so far) but instead all he's done by not taking Buzbee seriously is make him go public with accuser #1, then 2, 3, 4, 5-11, 10 more on the way, and so on. there's zero percent chance that this is all fabricated, IMO. but what's strange about this story is that whether you believe Watson is innocent or guilty of this, to the very last detail, you're being asked to concoct a pretty insane narrative, based on the facts presented. either this super high-profile athlete with an up-til-now decent moral reputation is a serial offender, finally being exposed by a cartoon lawyer, and really bungling every step of this process... or idk, what's the best I can do here? someone is leaning on all these women to force them to drum up otherwise innocent instagram handies into sexual assault charges to sully his name as he tries to force his way out of town? yowsa. both of those are pretty crazy outcomes! and I'm not sure how much room there is in the middle for it to shake out any other way. fascinating times.

much better fit for this young defense than Tahir "Last Stop Before The Rocking Chair" Whitehead

well, I'm glad the lawsuit was actually filed and has concrete details. if this is true then everything I said about it not being assault is obviously out the window, and the incident described in the complaint would definitely be assault. and it would certainly rise above what would otherwise be "gross/inappropriate/unprofessional" conduct and into another realm entirely. this incident is alleged to have happened in March of last year, which doesn't do much to allay questions about the "timing" of the lawsuit, if one is inclined to think conspiratorially about this. but really that's all the speculation I'm comfortable doing at this point, now that we have the text of the complaint. it's a matter for the courts to decide now, or, more likely, a settlement of some sort. but for Watson to have put himself in a position where this kind of complaint could be levied against him is already Not Great, and if the details in this complaint are accurate, I'd certainly think a lot less of him as a person, much less a leader, and I'd not be interested in him playing for the team I like.

to be clear, asking a masseuse to massage an "inappropriate area" is very, very not cool. it's not even borderline or in some grey area. it could be construed as coercive in certain circumstances. but it's certainly not sexual assault. harassment, perhaps. does it warrant criminal charges? I don't see how it could. would it reflect poorly on his character? yes it would, absolutely. if Watson left when asked to leave, honestly that should probably be the end of it, as far as a legal or civil matter. but I guess we'll continue to see the details dribble out at this point. it's playing out according to someone's plan.

all I know is that if I had been assaulted by someone like Watson and wanted to seek justice, I'd have definitely sent my lawyer back to the drawing board for a better statement than that sketchy-af gobbledygook. I'm not sure it could have come off more slimy and on-the-surface disingenuous if it had been created in a lab. which is what makes me think that the goal here might not be to seek justice for the alleged victim, but to drag Deshaun through the mud for a week or two. which somehow would be even slimier than my first impression. I hope the victim's true wishes are being represented in the lawyer's statement and actions, but I am rather dubious at this point.

no but I did always combine Godfrey and Sherrod Martin into one player in my mind

my understanding is that Kawaan Short was not a June 1 release. especially since the team already announced it and stuff. if he was a June 1 cut, they couldn't make it official until the start of the league year. so with Boston looking like a June 1 cut, that leaves space for another June 1 cut if the Panthers are so inclined.

methinks David Culley is set up to fail with the clown fiesta going on within the Texans organization.

this is fun

yep, and as Rivera said in a video a few days before the draft, "it's going to be hard [for newcomers] to make this team. we're not drafting guys to cut them, we're drafting them to help us win." so it's prudent to consider how a guy like Sandland will fit the team. he seems headed straight for the Brockel/Swole role as 4-team ST guy + goal-line packages. at least to start. then, maybe he'll usurp Dickson or replace him.

worth noting: this is where that cap space that was "inexplicably" unused in the offseason reeeeeeally comes in handy. $$$ salary.

I let out a 6-second "whaaaaaat" when I saw the tweet from Glazer. all-in kind of move, depending on the pick (?) they gave up.

breathless descriptions of trai turner vs reserve d-linemen pls.

I see you've got Chris Houston as a goner, which honestly I am a little surprised by. he's got veteran bonafides, and has been doing some work on special teams in camp.

good lord I do not care about the guy having some grinders and a bowl in his car. but I don't make the rules. maybe he can say PJ Hairston loaned him the car or something.

hmm maybe I should drive down to Buffalo. *checks passport validity*

Tolbert will never be "slim", in fact I'd say he'd be the last guy on the team to worry about being underweight. he's thick, probably since he was 2 years old. brick shithouse.

let's just say it makes an, ahem, impression on me

​twss

​what is this garbage

​bless, tyvm

I really really miss the "go to first unread post" button

testing

watching that tape, the game of football doesn't seem particularly complicated to a guy like lee ward

lots of posts in this thread would make @PFTCommenter very proud. HOT TAEKS