Deshaun Watson's attorney reveals new information on settlement attempts, potential Miami Dolphins trades

Back in November, Deshaun Watson thought he was headed to Miami in a trade with the Dolphins. Both sides had interest, according to his attorney Rusty Hardin during an in-depth interview with Sports Radio 610. So how come it didn’t happen?

“Miami was an outlier,” Hardin said. “Ross says, the owner of Miami says, ‘I’ll take my chances on what happens criminally but I have to have all twenty-two cases settled and a nondisclosure agreement or I won’t do it.’”

Hardin said that Miami said they were willing to take their chances despite Watson’s pending criminal investigation. According to the attorney, most NFL teams wouldn’t even consider trading for Watson until they knew what the outcome would be on the criminal side.

“The coach at Miami was somebody that Deshaun liked. He liked the team. He was just chomping at the bit to get back to football and get all this garbage behind him and so we were told, ‘I want to go to Miami,’” Hardin said.

Watson’s attorney also mentioned that Watson offered $100,000 to each plaintiff, hoping to speed up the legal process because the Dolphins wanted a settlement with all 22 women before making the trade. That ultimately blew up the trade talks between the two teams. Watson was close to an agreement as 18 of the 22 women agreed to the settlement at the time.

Hardin said he was told that twenty plaintiffs would agree to settle, but two would not. Dolphins Chairman Stephen M. Ross said if Hardin don’t have all twenty-two signed up and a confidentiality agreement, then he wouldn’t take the deal due to concern over public outcry over the controversial move.

In related news, Hardin found himself under fire following comments during the same interview regarding a “happy ending” massage the Watson allegedly received legally. Hardin clarified his comments after the fact, saying that a “happy ending” is not illegal if the sex was consensual, regardless if it was with a therapist after a massage – unless the sex is for pay. 

“Deshaun did not pay anyone for sex,” Hardin said. “I was using the term hypothetically and not describing Deshaun’s case.

“I have reiterated to others it’s not ok to do anything that a woman does not agree to do. These women have alleged assault in their pleadings. I was speaking in a hypothetical situation. If there is a consensual sexual encounter after a massage, that is not a crime nor the basis for a civil lawsuit. I was not talking about Deshaun did or did not do or expected or did not expect.”