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NFL Network’s annual “Top 100 Players” series tends to ruffle people, arguing over who should be on the top, bottom, or off the list.
But with one of the network’s selections on this year’s “Top 100 Players of 2020” show, the buzz could be even stronger than usual.
N ° 18 in the general classification is none other than Deshaun Watson. None other than the Houston Texans quarterback who is currently in training camp limbo as his legal situation plays out.
Here is the video in question. Thoughts?
The management of Deshaun Watson by the NFL Network
“Nobody knows when Deshaun Watson will take over the field,” he begins.
Our first thought after watching this: Oh, being a fly on the wall at the production meeting when the Watson topic was brought up. It is assumed here that there was quite a long conversation when people came up with his name.
Was it originally over 18? (That’s plausible, even though he was 20th on last summer’s list.)
Was there any discussion of excluding it from the list? (We’d be shocked if they didn’t at least to discuss this.)
And how did they come to the conclusion of the script?
The format is different from other player segments. In about 80 seconds, we get narrated highlights – and dark and gloomy synthesizers in Jan Hammer’s lore – but no player interviews. Typically, the NFLN will collect SOTs (audio on tape) from 2-3 other players to talk about the quality of each Top 100 selection. But not for Watson.
The video is quite clunky, but whatever the network did, it would look slightly obtuse at best. But it’s a soccer list. Among the top 100 players of last season, of which Watson is undoubtedly one. It is not worth discussing this particular point.
There are accusers who claim Watson is a predator, and the world is waiting for the results of civil cases and any potential criminal charges that may fall. These allegations must be taken very seriously.
It’s understandable that Watson’s presence on the list bothers some people. Maybe this feels like a gratuitous celebration of his talent without specifically mentioning what is alleged. But that’s the NFL, and his handling of Watson’s discipline – essentially to let him twist in the wind until there’s some sort of resolution – is a good picture of his position here.
The league knows about the 20+ accusers, of course, but it’s the same vein of approach with the “Top 100” list. The network will keep it on the list while recognizing just enough why it is even up for debate.
There’s even a chance Watson could play this season. No, he hasn’t really practiced, and a lot has to go in Watson’s favor soon enough. But it is at least possible.
The profile could have done without this closing line: “Competence is not a mystery, everything else is. It’s not really offensive; it’s more awkward than anything else.
But is this something that is going to annoy us all? Not really. Ambivalence could be the word.
Watson is a great football player – he showed us that again last season – who is accused of heinous things. These two things can be simultaneously true. The case remains very open. It is possible that he will be cleared. He could go to jail. Neither can be ruled out.
On the list of “bad things the NFL did”, this one just doesn’t register very well.
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