Deshaun Watson Facing Criminal Complaint
HPD announced the change in the case and said in its statement: “As with any allegation, the Houston Police Department is now conducting an investigation and will not comment further during the investigative process.”
No details about the complaint were revealed, and it’s unknown if the criminal complaint was filed by someone also involved with a civil lawsuit, but this change in the case will change things for the NFL.
The league has been conducting its own investigation since March 18, but because the complaint wasn’t criminal in nature, the league had latitude in how it handled things. Now that there are allegations of criminal behavior, the league may be pressured into placing Watson on its exempt list.
Teams can begin offseason workouts on April 19, so expect the NFL to make a decision on Watson’s status before then.
Chargers Owners Facing Mounting Debt
The Spanos family has owned the controlling interest in the Chargers since Alex Spanos bought the team in 1984. But the children of Spanos, led by Dean Spanos, the chairman of the team, may see their ownership coming to an end.
Dean Spanos’ sister, Dea Spanos Berberian, has asked a Los Angeles County Superior Court to place the team up for sale, citing $353 million in debt for the Spanos Family Trust, which owns 36% of the franchise.
Dean Spanos and his other two sisters have responded to the court filing by saying that they would buy out Spanos Berberian if necessary. Each of the siblings owns 15% of the team, and a buyout of Spanos Berberian would not affect the 36% of the team owned by the trust or the debt that the trust is currently carrying
Dean Spanos says that this ownership dispute will not affect the team’s operations as it prepares for the 2021 season.
Bears Confirm Dalton is Starter
A couple of weeks ago, the Bears social media department referred to Andy Dalton as QB1, and now general manager Ryan Pace has confirmed that Dalton is indeed considered to be the Bears starting quarterback heading into the 2021 season.
Nick Foles is also on the roster, but after briefly taking over for Mitchell Trubisky in 2020, he is returning to the backup role. And with a free-agent market that is highlighted by Alex Smith, Matt Barkley, Nick Mullens, and Blake Bortles, it’s easy to see how Dalton has won the position by default.
A trade for either Russell Wilson or Watson is becoming less likely as the offseason moves along, but the Bears could select a quarterback in the upcoming draft. The Bears select 20th in the first round.
Currently, the Bears still sport 50-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl LVI, but that value is likely not to last as markets adjust to the announcement.
