Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Watson will start Sunday's game at Jacksonville, NFL.com reports.
Stefanski directed reporters to the team's official statement from Tuesday, in which the Browns said they will "respect the due process our legal system affords" after a civil lawsuit filed Monday accused Watson of sexual assault and battery in October 2020. Watson isn't expected to go on the commissioner's exempt list for now, with NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy announcing Tuesday that the league will "look into the matter under the personal conduct policy." The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games and fined him $5 million in 2022, after at least two dozen women made allegations similar to those in the lawsuit filed Monday. He has since reached confidential settlements for 23 of the 24 civil suits.