Bobref

Or ... sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

The number of lawsuits has grown to 12, and the attorney says he has been contacted by “more than 10” additional women reporting similar encounters. So, let’s put the over/under on accusers who actually come out at 21-1/2. Waddya’ got? https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31094724/lawyer-says-civil-lawsuits-houston-texans-qb-deshaun-watson-12 Lawyer says lawsuits against Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson up to 12 Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee said during a news conference Friday that he will be filing an additional five lawsuits against Deshaun Watson "in due course" -- bringing the number of total cases to 12 alleging inappropriate conduct and sexual assault by the Texans' quarterback. Buzbee also said he has spoken to "more than 10 additional women" who have come forward with reports about similar conduct from Watson after encounters. Buzbee said alleged inappropriate conduct by Watson has happened as recently as this month, which was after the first time Buzbee said he spoke to Watson's lawyer Scott Gaffield. Watson has since hired Houston attorney Rusty Hardin. Buzbee said during the news conference that his office has been in contact with police and that he would provide information to them about the women who intend to sue Watson. The Houston Police Department said in a statement posted to Twitter later Friday that it was unaware of any contact it had with Buzbee regarding the allegations or the filings of any incident reports. Buzbee later wrote on social media that the contact he referenced earlier was with a detective he knows who reached out to him. Buzbee also said he is not aware of any police reports filed before the civil suits. "That's going to be our next step," Buzbee said, noting he will do so when his clients are ready but without offering a timeline on when that would be. Buzbee said Watson's representatives have known about the allegations for more than a month. "We actually had contact with Deshaun Watson's agent/lawyer from Los Angeles, who minimized these allegations, who did not take them seriously," Buzbee said. "We wanted to resolve this matter without a lawsuit, without any publicity. We knew that once we filed a lawsuit -- Texas, of course, has an open courts provision in the constitution, so all lawsuits are public. We wanted to avoid that." Hardin on Friday issued a statement saying the allegations against Watson are "meritless." "I'm extremely proud to represent Deshaun Watson and wholly stand behind him against what we believe are meritless allegations," Hardin's statement said. "However, we will wait to comment in detail until we've completed our review of the numerous, evolving allegations from Mr. Buzbee. We will respond next week and ask you to keep an open mind until we do so." After Buzbee's announcement of the first lawsuit Tuesday, Watson responded on Twitter by saying that he rejected "a baseless six-figure settlement demand" and that this is "about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that." At the time of his statement, Watson said he had not seen the first lawsuit. "I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect," Watson said in his statement. In Friday's news conference, Buzbee said one of the women said Watson was referred to her by a Texans athletic trainer, while another woman said Watson was referred to her by Quincy Avery, Watson's personal quarterback coach and athletic trainer. Buzbee said that when he filed the first lawsuit on Tuesday night, he was representing only two women. Since then, the other women have come forward. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy on Thursday said "the matter is under review" of the league's personal conduct policy, and the Texans said they would stay in close contact with the NFL during the league's investigation. Buzbee said that he has not had any contact with the Texans and that the only contact with the NFL has been the letter he received from Lisa Friel, the league's special counsel for investigations. Buzbee has yet to directly respond to the NFL's request to interview him and his clients, league sources told ESPN's Ed Werder, although he vowed cooperation in his news conference. The NFL protocol would also involve an eventual interview with Watson. Under terms of the NFL personal conduct policy, Watson could be punished if the league determines the allegations are true, regardless of the outcome in court, but a source told Werder that it's premature to discuss what the allegations could mean for Watson's future. While there has been speculation that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could place Watson on the exempt list, that is not believed to be a current option because the NFL offseason has begun and that process was designed to remove players facing potential disciplinary action from practices and games. The seven lawsuits filed so far depict a pattern of sexual assault against massage therapists in the Houston area. One woman alleges she was forced into oral sex during the course of the massage. Six of the lawsuits allege these were one-time encounters with Watson, but one woman alleges she was sexually assaulted by Watson on multiple occasions. That lawsuit says the first massage was booked through the spa where the licensed aesthetician worked. The six other lawsuits allege Watson first inquired about the massage through Instagram direct messages. Three of the four lawsuits filed Thursday night accuse him of inappropriate contact; the fourth said he forcibly tried to kiss a woman. "Watson's behavior is part of a disturbing pattern of preying on vulnerable women," the fourth lawsuit reads. All of the women who have filed lawsuits against Watson to this point have done so anonymously. Many of them allege they were intimidated by his physical stature and his status as an NFL quarterback. Buzbee said Friday that three of the women his law firm represents "are undergoing intensive therapy as a result of the defendant's conduct." Watson's agent, David Mulugheta, posted on Twitter on Friday. "Sexual assault is real. Victims should be heard, offenders prosecuted," Mulugheta posted Friday. "Individuals fabricate stories in pursuit of financial gain often. Their victims should be heard, and those offenders also prosecuted. I simply hope we keep this same energy with the truth."

I’ve got you all beat. Class of ‘70. Of course, I was a child prodigy ...

Certainly not. I never “marched off” the penalties. 😅😂🤣

I’ve heard there is electronic information making and confirming appointments. But I haven’t heard of anything that sounds incriminating.

Or, he could be waiting until the end of the NBA season to see if he gets fired when the Celtics underachieve ... again.

I find this story fascinating and, therefore deserving of it’s own thread. The story, to me, represents a true cultural clash - a superstar athlete who, by all prior accounts was a solid citizen, and who was widely hailed for taking a principled stand against the Houston organization’s internal dysfunction. Ordinarily, we bend over backwards giving guys like that the benefit of the doubt. But juxtapose that with what’s going on in our “woke” and “me too” society, and you have diametrically opposing sentiments now rubbing against each other (Sorry, couldn’t resist that. I have poor impulse control.) How it’s going to play out is yet to be seen. But my guess is that if these women look and sound credible, civil lawsuits are not at the top of his list of worries. Rather, he’s not going to have to decide whether to sit out the season or play for Houston. The NFL will make that decision for him. The attorney who has sued Deshaun Watson is holding a presser today, and has said 9 women have now come forward to press sexual misconduct claims against Watson. That is an awful lot of smoke for there not to be any fire. https://www.tmz.com/2021/03/18/deshaun-watson-lawsuit-sexual-assault-masseuse-third-woman-nfl-texans/ DESHAUN WATSONSEXUAL ASSAULT ACCUSER LIST GROWS Lawyer Claims 9 Women Coming Forward The attorney representing the 3 women who have filed sexualmisconduct lawsuits against Deshaun Watson now says the total number of accusers has ballooned to NINE. "The Buzbee Law Firm has now been hired by nine women to bring cases against Deshaun Watson," attorney Tony Buzbee says ... noting, "The allegations are similar." "We have filed three [lawsuits], and, as we complete our due diligence, will file the remaining ones in due course." Buzbee says the firm is talking with "several others" and praises his clients as "brave women who are wiling to come forward and be heard." The allegations against NFL superstar Deshaun Watson are piling up ... a third female masseuse has filed a lawsuit against the QB, claiming he forced her to perform oral sex during a Dec. 2020 encounter. The woman, who filed her suit under the pseudonym Jane Doe to protect her identity, claims Watson reached out on Instagram to set up a session. The woman says the two agreed to an appointment at a Houston, Texas office building on Dec. 28, 2020 at 10 a.m. Jane Doe -- who claims she was newly engaged and had just graduated chiropractic school -- says her mother dropped her off at the job, and then she met Watson ... and that's when she claims things immediately got weird. The woman says Watson insisted she focus on massaging his "inner thighs" and "inner glutes" -- while repeatedly telling her he's a professional football player. She claims Watson "got more aggressive" -- and eventually "coerced [Jane Doe] to move her mouth toward his penis, forcing [Jane Doe] to perform oral sex on him." The woman claims she never consented to the sex act ... and actually "blacked out for a few minutes from the fear." In her suit, the woman claims she was so terrified, she defecated on herself. The woman says Watson got up, got dressed and left as if nothing happened. The woman is suing for sexual assault, civil assault and intentional inflection of emotional distress. It's the third lawsuit filed against Watson by attorney Tony Buzbee ... who claims there are at least 3 other women who will be taking legal action against the Houston Texans player. Watson has not been arrest nor charged with a crime ... and has adamantly denied all wrongdoing, insisting Buzbee is just trying to score an unwarranted payday for the women. The other two lawsuits that have been previously filed against Watson contain similar allegations -- with two massage therapists alleging sexual misconduct against the QB during massage sessions that were initiated over social media

Here’s one take on the candidates for the IU job: https://www.wdrb.com/sports/dr-bos-indiana-basketball-coaching-candidates-hot-sheet-vol-1/article_dbf26b82-8751-11eb-baad-83374c595a1c.html Dr. Bo's Indiana basketball coaching candidates Hot Sheet, Vol. 1 Rick Bozich Mar 17, 2021 Updated Mar 17, 2021 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some people say Indiana needs an Indiana guy to lift its basketball program from the malaise that has surrounded Hoosier basketball for nearly two decades. I say they are wrong. I say Indiana needs a coach the Big Ten and college basketball will respect and often fear. A guy who has proven that he can win and that Indiana will compensate with a package that the market demands. A coach who will signal that Indiana means business about returning to the top of the Big Ten. Not a coach who'll have to learn on the job. I said it before, but people refuse to listen, so I’ll say it again: Bob Knight was an Ohio State guy before he arrived in Bloomington in 1971. Mike Krzyzewski was a West Point guy. John Calipari was a Clarion State guy. John Wooden was a Purdue guy. Knight became an Indiana guy by going to two Final Fours and winning parts of four Big Ten titles in his first five seasons. Ditto for Coach K, Coach Cal, the Wizard of Westwood and many others. That guiding principle, along with information I collected from sources I trust, resulted in this project: Doctor Bo’s Indiana Coaching Hot Sheet, Volume 1: Chris Beard, Texas Tech Why It Works: Winner. Came within an overtime of winning the 2019 national title. In Lubbock, Texas. His teams have ranked in the top 25 nationally in defensive efficiency four straight seasons. The offense has been top 50 in the same period. At Texas Tech. In the Big 12. Credits Knight for some of his success. Has the personality to command the room. Already has 2 wins over Purdue. Has the fear factor. Why It Doesn’t: The man makes $4.8 million in a state with no income tax, along with a buyout of more than $2 million. He’s the Lord of Lubbock, master of a program that he constructed. No pressure to leave. Strong family ties in Texas. There are no connections to Indiana or the Midwest other than the 10 years Beard invested as an assistant coach to both Bob and Pat Knight at Texas Tech. Dr. Bo Percentage: 31% John Beilein, former Michigan coach Why It Works: Another winner. Two national championship games at Michigan, which was a mess when he took over from Tommy Amaker. Major success at West Virginia, which was irrelevant when Beilein arrived. Track record of developing and winning with players who were not top-75 recruits — and getting them to the NBA. His fear factor comes from his ability to out-coach you not because of the force of his personality. Why It Doesn’t: Turned 68 in early February. Needed six seasons to get the Wolverines beyond the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Failed to survive a single NBA season in Cleveland, losing the locker room with strange practice demands and by referring to his players as a “bunch of thugs.” Although Beilein insisted that he meant to use the word “slugs” instead of “thugs,” his NBA career was essentially over. Dr. Bo Percentage: 25% Calbert Cheaney, Pacers assistant, former IU all-American Why It Works: One of the most popular players in IU history as well as the Big Ten’s leading scorer. Has experience working with players in college and the NBA. Thoughtful and excellent communicator. Relates well to players. Would follow the model established by Juwan Howard at Michigan and Patrick Ewing at Georgetown. Has support of several former IU players. Why It Doesn’t: Not only does he lack head coaching experience, Cheaney has never been a No. 1 assistant. Turned down an opportunity to upgrade from an operations guy to assistant coach at IU under Tom Crean. Lacks the name recognition of Howard and Ewing. Would require a staff with strong, veteran college experience. No fear factor. Dr. Bo Percentage: 13% Scott Drew, Baylor Why It Works: Architect of one of the top rebuilding jobs in college basketball, raising a program leveled by the murder of a player and NCAA probation into a consistent Big 12 power. Evolved from a coach fixated on 4- and 5-star prospects to a guy who has won with player development of lesser recruits and transfers. Could win the 2021 national title. Grew up in northern Indiana where he coached Valparaiso. Modest Fear Factor. Why It Doesn’t: Happy in Waco, where they’ll give him a statue when he retires. Believes in don’t mess with happy. In a 2012 poll at CBSSports.com, Drew ranked second to Calipari in a poll question about guys that opposing coaches considered to be cheating. Has detractors in Indiana AAU circles because of his recruitment of former IU player Hanner Mosquera-Perea. Some wonder if he’s using the IU job to squeeze a raise from Baylor. Dr. Bo Percentage: 10% Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics Why It Works: The slam-dunk No.1 recruit for IU fans since he directed Butler to back-to-back national championship games in 2010-11. Smart, innovative, universally respected. Eight years of NBA head coaching experience in Boston. The son of a former IU football player, whose father took him to Assembly Hall for three or four games every season. Grand slam. Total package. Definite Fear and Complete Respect Factor. Why It Doesn’t: Has a job he loves with the Celtics. Has repeatedly confirmed his commitment there. Would be hired by another NBA franchise immediately if the Celtics went another direction. Not gaga about recruiting but would be a top candidate for the Duke or North Carolina jobs when Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams retire. Dr. Bo Percentage: 7% Eric Musselman, Arkansas Why It Works: Has the Razorbacks in the top 10 in his second season in Fayetteville after the program spent several decades in the wilderness. Advocate of the modern game as evidenced by Arkansas ranking No. 17 in tempo. Won at Nevada. Why It Doesn’t: Recruiting heavily reliant on transfers. Just got to Fayetteville, and a source I trust says he has no interest in the job. Slim Fear Factor. Dr. Bo Percentage: 6% Thad Matta, former Ohio State coach Why It Works: Best winning percentage in Ohio State history. Won five Big Ten regular season titles and three Big Ten Tournament titles (what are those?). A couple of Final Fours. Also won big at Xavier. Midwest guy who understands what the Indiana job demands. Has recruited well in Indiana. Why It Doesn’t: Lost his mojo late in his Ohio State run. Failed to make NCAA Tournament in his final two seasons. Failed to advance to the Sweet 16 in his final four seasons. Health was not 100% and that appeared to affect his recruiting. Has turned down other college options. Minimal Fear Factor. Dr. Bo Percentage: 5% Everybody Else Why It Works: Because Indiana needs a coach Why It Doesn’t: Because they aren’t the names higher on the list. Nothing to fear but another coaching change in four years. Dr. Bo Percentage: 3%.

I think he was the coach who, when asked in a postgame press conference to comment on his team’s execution replied “I’m in favor of it.”

What’s that got to do with anything?

We see this all the time in Indiana, most frequently on the abortion issue. Legislators introduce, and sometimes even pass, legislation that has no hope of withstanding constitutional scrutiny. They’re just doing it to pander to a particular constituency. But all they accomplish is costing the state big bucks to have their attorney general try to defend the indefensible in court ... and they contribute to the public’s general misunderstanding of the Constitution. After all, the public is going to assume that legislators wouldn’t knowingly pass laws that can’t be enforced, would they?

This is all I could find in 5 minutes of research. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43660.pdf It’s a 10 pg. document, but here’s the gist: The laws and regulations on the receipt of “gifts” by executive branch personnel provide, generally, that an employee may not solicit or accept a gift: (1) if the gift is from a “prohibited source” or (2) if the gift is given because of the employee’s official position. A “prohibited source” under the regulations is one who seeks official action from the employee’s agency; one who does business or seeks to do business with the agency; one whose activities are regulated by the employee’s agency; one whose interests may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the employee’s official duties; or an organization a majority of whose members fit any of the above categories. A gift is given “because of” the employee’s official position if it would not have been offered “had the employee not held the status, authority or duties associated with his Federal position.” Gifts that are “motivated by a family relationship or personal friendship” may therefore be accepted without limitation.

Watson wants out of Houston due to well-publicized issues with their front office. Perhaps before he stakes his claim to the moral high ground, he should make sure he’s entitled to it. This is an awful lot of smoke for their to be no fire. https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/03/18/deshaun-watson-faces-second-lawsuit-assault-massage-therapists Deshaun Watson Faces Third Lawsuit Alleging Assault During a Massage Deshaun Watson is facing three civil lawsuits, and another three more could be filed in the coming days. After announcing the first lawsuit on Tuesday, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee posted on social media about a second suit on Wednesday and later that evening, Buzbee announced in a post that a third lawsuit—this one "the most egregious" to date—had been filed as well. The first two lawsuits allege inappropriate conduct during massages on two different occasions by two different individuals, the first being a licensed massage therapist and the other being a masseuse with the goal of being a licensed massage therapist one day. The second lawsuit says, "Watson's behavior is part of a disturbing pattern of preying on vulnerable women." Buzbee declined to go into details about the third lawsuit, but addressed any perceptions that the suits had anything to do with gaining notoriety or financial gain. "I've been doing this a long time. I don't need 'fame'...," Buzbee wrote. "I'm not pursuing these cases for the money, and every woman who has filed thus far has only plead the minimum amount to invoke the court's jurisdiction ($500). This isn't about the money!!" In-depth analysis, unrivaled access. Get SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's best stories every weekday. Sign up now. In the second filing, Watson allegedly booked the massage through Instagram, and flew the masseuse from Atlanta to Houston in August 2020. Prior to arrival, they discussed what he was looking for, and allegedly asked her to specifically focus on his “glutes and his groin area and asked if she was comfortable with working on those areas.” The lawsuit states that she arrived at the hotel where the massage was to take place, but when she went to the room, the Texans quarterback was nude and allegedly refused to cover up with a towel despite multiple requests, stating that he "gets hot too easily." The filing says that Watson allegedly asked the woman to focus on the “inner part of his anus” and towards his “genitals.” When the Texans quarterback flipped onto his back, the woman handed him a towel to cover up, which he refused. She became uncomfortable shortly after, and ended the massage, asking to leave. “Watson grabbed her hand and started to rub her arm, pulling her towards him, saying ‘It is okay, it is okay.’ Plaintiff pulled away,” according to the lawsuit. The filing also states that the masseuse only received half of her payment, but was "so disturbed" that she didn't ask for the second half. The first lawsuit was filed on Tuesday and appeared on the Harris County district clerk's website Wednesday morning. The incident took place in March 2020, and the lawsuit says it was "apparent that Watson wanted the massage for only one reason—sex." "As she was trying to figure out how to extricate herself from the situation, Watson continued to aggressively attempt to steer the conversation to how Plaintiff was not rubbing him the way he wanted. Several times he specifically kept trying to direct her to his penis," the lawsuit says. "At one point, he purposely exposed the tip of his penis from under the towel." The lawsuit claims the quarterback was "fully erect," and he "moved his body so he could expose himself more." It also alleges Watson "purposefully touched the Plaintiff's hand" with the tip of his penis. The Plaintiff, listed as "Jane Doe" in the case, quickly ended the session, and according to the lawsuit, Watson told her, "I know you have a career and reputation, and I know you would hate for someone to mess with yours, just like I don't want anyone messing with mine." Buzbee, who represents the Plaintiffs in both cases, said on social media that four cases against Watson, but only two have been filed so far. ESPN reported that the Texans issued a statement earlier on Wednesday. "We became aware of a civil lawsuit involving Deshaun Watson through a social media post last night," the team's statement said. "This is the first time we heard of the matter, and we hope to learn more soon. We take accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We will await further information before making any additional statements on this incident." Watson responded to the claims from Buzbee on social media Tuesday night, denying the allegations. Watson said Tuesday that he had not seen the complaint yet.

Grantland Rice’s story about that Army game included maybe the most famous lead in the history of sportswriting: Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army football team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds yesterday afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down on the bewildering panorama spread on the green plain below.

The legislation creates 2 offices: Chief Justice and Associate Justice. Both are filled by the Constitutional process, i.e., nomination by the President and confirmation by the Senate.

The Judiciary Act of 1798 fixed the number of Supreme Court Justices at 6: a Chief Justice and 5 Associate Justices. Therefore, the Chief is a separate office, and the President nominates a Justice specifically for the position of Chief Justice.

Bears sign Andy Dalton after failing to persuade Seahawks to trade Russell Wilson. The sad truth is that Dalton immediately becomes the most accomplished QB to ever don a Bears uniform. 3 Pro Bowls, been to the playoffs multiple times, has thrown for 10,000 more yards than the most prolific Bears QB in history: Jay Cutler. The Bears are now firmly entrenched in NFL Hell: not good enough to seriously challenge for anything meaningful, but not bad enough to work their way out of it by taking advantage of drafting early.

I don’t see that there’s a problem. The rules already prohibit any player from striking an opponent “with his fist, locked hands, forearm or elbow, nor kick or knee him.” An open-handed strike to the facemask — a “stiff arm” — does not present a serious risk of head injury unless the runner is some sort of Kung Fu master. It’s not at all analogous to a defender grabbing and twisting the runner’s facemask. I can honestly say in all the football I’ve seen, I’ve never seen a tackler suffer a head injury as a result of a stiff arm.

The foul is “grabbing the facemask.” It’s not the “strike” that the rule is trying to discourage. It’s the grabbing and twisting. And it’s not a head injury the rules makers are trying to protect against. It’s a neck injury.

More like a distinction without a difference.

More like the “Red Retread.”

You mean you wouldn’t be looking forward to the training camp battle between Dalton and Nick Foles? Winner earns the right to start the season standing like a statue behind that Bears offensive line ... for as long as he can take it.

@Muda69, I just want to make sure I understand your point clearly. Since the thread is about turf fields, does your objection that that these “extravagant” facilities represent a mis-allocation of resources extend to modern facilities that have natural grass, as well?

Philosophically, I have no problem with changing the rule to allow the offense to “give up” a play. After all, if a running back takes a knee to stay inbounds and keep the clock running, isn’t he “giving up” on the play? There are other examples.

Thank God Ryan Fitzpatrick is off the board. I could see the Bears kicking the can down the road with him. Now they’re going to have to actually execute a plan.