Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney urges patience as the legal process plays out with the sexual assault allegations surrounding Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Swinney won a national championship with Watson under center at Clemson at the end of the 2016 season, and provided remarks to a Greenville, South Carolina, television station on March 22.
“Certainly we were disappointed to see his name in the news and all that’s going on,” Swinney told WYFF-TV. “But look, hey, I love Deshaun Watson. He’s like a son to me. And that’s how I love him. As far as all the legal stuff and all that, that’ll all take its course and all that stuff. Certainly can’t speculate or comment on any of that stuff.”
Swinney says he has known Watson since the ninth grade and that he has been “nothing but exemplary in every area that I’ve ever known him in.”
Said Swinney: “Three years here as a player, I think I had a chance to yell at him one time. He was five minutes late to a team meeting that he overslept for and that’s it. That’s the Deshaun I know and I can only base my thoughts on my experiences with him, which have been just wonderful. Again, I love him like a son and we’ll just have to see where everything else goes from there.”
As of March 23, there were 14 lawsuits filed against Watson in Harris County district court. Attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents the women, says there are more suits to follow. Watson is represented by Rusty Hardin, who previously represented other pro athletes including Roger Clemens, Warren Moon, and Scottie Pippen.