Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson lost two major endorsement deals amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment by 22 women.
The first came when Nike announced it would no longer sponsor the 25-year-old quarterback. “We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and have suspended Deshaun Watson. We will continue to closely monitor the situation,” Nike said via statement.
Not long after, Beats by Dre made a similar announcement, stating it had moved on from Watson following the 2020 season. Beats by Dre first sponsored Watson following the 2017 NFL draft.
They weren’t the only two companies to distance themselves from the star quarterback as troubling allegations have emerged in recent weeks. On Wednesday night, yet another sponsor ended its contract with Watson.
According to Sarah Barshop, supermarket chain H-E-B said its relationship with Watson “ended with the Texans’ 2020 season” and ” there are no plans for future engagement.”
In a statement, H-E-B said its relationship with Deshaun Watson “ended with the Texans’ 2020 season” and “there are no plans for future engagement.”
Earlier today, Nike suspended its relationship with Watson and Beats by Dre ended its partnership with him.
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) April 7, 2021
It’s not surprising to see sponsors take a step back from Watson amid the latest allegations. More than 20 women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against the star quarterback.
Earlier this week, VP of communications Brian McCarthy issued a statement about the allegations against Watson.
“The allegations are deeply disturbing and we take these issues very seriously,” he said. “Immediately following news of the first allegations last month, and as has been reported, we initiated an investigation under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. We are continuing to closely monitor all developments in the matter.”
We’ll have more when it becomes available.
The post Another Sponsor Distances Itself From Deshaun Watson appeared first on The Spun.
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