“I want to say that I’m really sorry to all the women that I’ve affected in this situation,” Watson said during an inside interview on the Browns’ pregame show that aired on Cleveland News 5. The interview took place before Friday night’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which Watson started. Before Friday, Watson had said in his only two interviews with reporters since joining the Browns from the Houston Texans that he had “no regrets” about any of his actions during the massage sessions. In his second interview during Cleveland’s June minicamp, Watson reiterated that he did not regret his actions, though he admitted that he did regret the impact the allegations had on those around him. He said otherwise on Friday. “The decisions that I made in my life that got me to this position, I definitely wish I could take them back,” he said on the Browns’ pregame show, “but I want to keep moving forward and growing and learning and showing that I’m true man of character and I will keep moving forward.” 2 Related Watson and the Browns are waiting to hear if he will be suspended longer than the six-game suspension handed down by independent arbitrator Sue L. Robinson last week for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The NFL, seeking a harsher punishment, appealed Robinson’s decision, which will be heard by Peter C. Harvey, a former New Jersey attorney general appointed by commissioner Roger Goodell. Harvey has no specific deadline to rule on the appeal, although he must work on an “expedited” basis, according to the collective bargaining agreement. In her 16-page report, which concluded that Watson breached the personal conduct policy with “outstanding” and “predatory” behavior, Robinson noted that an aggravating factor in her decision to suspend Watson for six matches was the “lack of of his expressed remorse. “ Watson has been accused of sexual assault and other misconduct during massage sessions in civil lawsuits filed by 25 women. The collisions alleged in the lawsuits occurred from March 2020 to March 2021 while Watson was a member of the Texans. The Browns traded for Watson in March 2022, sending three first-round draft picks to Houston before giving Watson a new $230 million fully guaranteed contract. One of the 25 lawsuits was dismissed after a judge ruled in April 2021 that the plaintiffs had to amend their petitions to reveal their names. Two other women filed suit against Watson but did not sue him. Watson has settled or agreed to settle all but one of the remaining lawsuits, which remain pending. In July, the Texans reached settlements with 30 women who filed or were preparing to file claims against the NFL organization for allegedly “enabling” Watson’s behavior. Friday marked Watson’s first game since Jan. 3, 2021, with the Texans. In the pre-game interview he said he was “super excited” to finally play. “Every snap, I want to make sure I love it because I’m not sure when the next time I’m going to be able to go out there with these guys,” he said. Watson was asked about how he would use his time away from the team as it relates to personal development. “I know I’ve got a lot of work to do, especially on the court to be able to make sure I’m ready to play whenever that moment comes, whenever I can get back on the court,” he said. “But also the biggest thing is I want to continue to mentor and I want to make sure that I’m growing as a person, as a decision-maker on and off the field. I want to make sure that I’m just growing in the community as much as possible, and this is true of the Cleveland community, this is the NFL community and beyond.”
