(ThyBlackMan.com) During the month of March, much of the sports world focuses on NCAA Basketball Tournaments and upsets and brackets featuring schools many people have never heard of. This year, there have been plenty of upsets in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament but there has been big sports news beyond college basketball. There were a lot of big names in the National Football League, NBA, and other sports who garnered headlines for reasons that are many reasons that would be positive for them. A couple of those sports figures who got big sports headlines in March have been accused of some heinous actions in their past which made this March even more “mad” beyond college basketball.
One of the more shocking sports stories of 2021 were the numerous sexual misconduct allegations against Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson was one of the young, charismatic faces of the NFL who had overcome family financial issues within his childhood to become a high school star in Georgia, college superstar at Clemson, and one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He didn’t play the entire 2021 NFL season for the Houston Texans due to multiple sexual misconduct lawsuits. On March 11, 2022, Watson and his legal team got some important news when it was announced that no criminal charges would be filed against him.
The family of Deshaun Watson got more life-changing news on March 19th when Watson was traded from the Texans to the Cleveland Browns and received a new contract. Watson’s new deal with the Browns is $230 million over five years and the $230 million guaranteed money is the most guaranteed money at signing of any player in NFL history. While no one can say with certainty that Watson is guilty of any of the sexual misconduct he has been accused of, it is not a good sign of character or judgement to have 22 women come forward about their encounters with him. There is a reason his legal issues have drawn comparisons to Bill Cosby’s legal situations. Regarding the NFL, there’s a near guarantee Deshaun Watson will be suspended for some portion of the 2022 NFL season as he still faces active civil lawsuits for sexual assault and harassment for 22 different women.
For the past few years, one of the best quarterback to wide receiver combinations was Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill. Both are among the most exciting players in the NFL and that combination is over as Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins on March 23rd in a surprising move. Hill inked a four-year contract with his new team worth $120 million with $72.2 million guaranteed. His Dolphins deal makes Hill the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. He has an off-the-field past that has been overshadowed by his talent and production in recent years. It is easy to forget that entering the NFL in 2016, Hill had character concerns from a domestic violence arrest back in 2014. More recently, Hill was investigated for child abuse in 2019, when his three-year-old son sustained a broken arm. Though Hill was never charged, there are audio recordings that feature his then-fiancee, Crystal Espinal, describing how he physically “disciplined” their toddler. Hill also eerily threatened her in the audio, saying, “You need to be terrified of me, too, (expletive)”. While it has been years since these unsettling alleged events, it is difficult to see someone with that past become the highest paid in his professional field.
There are no perfect “angels” in the NFL or in society in general but there are several people in the NFL and in society who go their entire lives without heinous allegations that lead to legal issues or possible imprisonment. People also deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to serious allegations but it is also noteworthy when a person is accused of multiple acts of misconduct or violence. It has long been proven in sports that talent trumps character in many cases unfortunately.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines