HOUSTON — Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson plans to report to training camp on Sunday, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Had Watson not reported, he would have been fined $50,000 per day. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can no longer forgive fines. A source told ESPN’s Ed Werder that Watson is reporting to camp solely to avoid those fines, and his desire to be traded is unchanged.
Watson’s plan to report to camp, which was first reported Sunday by NFL Network, comes after an offseason when he first asked to be traded in January after the Texans hired Nick Caserio as their general manager.
Less than two months later, the first of 23 civil lawsuits was filed against Watson. The now 22 active lawsuits allege sexual assault and inappropriate behavior against the Texans quarterback.
Since the lawsuits were filed, new head coach David Culley has largely avoided addressing Watson’s legal situation, other than referencing a letter sent by Texans ownership to season-ticket holders in April that said, “We want to assure you that we take these allegations very seriously.”
The Texans have three other quarterbacks on their roster: Tyrod Taylor, Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel.