The final two lawsuits against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson have been dismissed.
A total of 27 lawsuits accusing Watson of sexual misconduct were filed since March 2021.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for 11 games in 2022 following an investigation into the allegations.

The two remaining lawsuits against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson have been dismissed by the women who filed them just weeks before they were scheduled to go to trial in February and March.

Both were among 27 lawsuits filed against Watson since March 2021, all by women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Of the 27 cases, 24 ended with confidential settlements and one was withdrawn shortly after being field in 2021. The last remaining two were dismissed with prejudice in Houston Friday Jan. 6, indicating they also were settled with confidential terms.

Plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee represented 26 of the 27 women, including one of the final remaining plaintiffs, Lauren Baxley, who previously declined to settle after filing suit in March 2021. She was one of the first women to come forward publicly and accuse Watson of misconduct during a massage session.

“Case is settled,” Buzbee said Monday. “That’s all I can say about it. That’s the last case so that ends my involvement with Deshaun Watson litigation.”

Watson denied wrongdoing and said some of the encounters with these women were consensual. But the NFL investigated and eventually suspended him for 11 games in 2022.

The Baxley case was set for trial in Houston on March 30. The other remaining case was set for trial Feb. 18 and involved the only plaintiff who wasn’t represented by Buzbee. That woman’s attorney didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.

That plaintiff had accused Watson of forcing her into oral sex during a massage session at the Houstonian Hotel in December 2020. Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, called her lawsuit a “sham” after it was filed in October 2022. He didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.

All cases generally alleged misconduct during massage sessions in 2020 and early 2021, when Watson played for the Houston Texans. That team also reached confidential settlements with 30 women who made claims related to Watson’s behavior and accused the team of enabling his behavior and failing to prevent it. In March 2022, the Texans traded him to the Browns, who gave him a five-year contract worth $230 million guaranteed.

But because of the suspension and injuries, Watson only has played in 19 games for the Browns since then. Last season, Watson, 30, didn’t play at all after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Take it from an actual Olympic Alpine skier: all these armchair experts claiming Lindsey Vonn’s injury caused her crash have no idea what they’re talking about.

When you hook a gate at high speed, as Vonn did in the downhill race Sunday, Feb. 8, there is little chance of making a recovery, said Keely Cashman, one of the American speed skiers.

‘That twists your body around. That has nothing to do with her ACL, nothing to do with her knee,’ Cashman said Monday, Feb. 9. ‘A lot of people are ridiculing that, and a lot of people don’t know what’s going on.

‘I’m not sure why people have so many opinions about it.’

Because people are ignorant. And think they understand skiing and skiers’ injuries and Olympic selection procedures when they … do not.

Vonn was skiing with a torn ACL, bone bruising and meniscus damage in her left knee after a Jan. 30 crash in the final downhill before the Milano Cortina Olympics. It’s not unheard of for someone to ski with a torn ACL — Vonn herself did it in the fall of 2013 and new Olympic champion Breezy Johnson tried to in 2022 — and Vonn said her knee felt stable and strong. She also wore a brace.

She was able to lift weights and do squats in the days after the initial crash, and she was solid in the two training runs ahead of the race. She posted the 11th-best time in the first training run, and was third-fastest in the second.

But Vonn was going for broke in the race, as one does when you’re trying to win, and taking a very tight line. She hooked the fourth gate, which spun her around and flung her into the hard snow surface. She then tumbled end over end several times before coming to rest.

‘Stick your hand out the car window when you’re driving down the freeway and then pretend you’re not connected to the car. It’s going to twist you around,’ Cashman said. ‘People just don’t understand really what goes on.’

Which is troubling to the people who actually do.

‘A lot of people have a lot of opinions about what happened yesterday and most of them are incorrect,’ Cashman said. ‘I hope that people can keep their opinions to themselves and just support her and understand that it’s her life and she’ll do whatever she wants and it doesn’t affect you.’

Duke men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer said that a member of the Blue Devils’ staff who was injured during a court storming at the end of the team’s 71-68 loss to archrival North Carolina is “fine” and “doing better.”

Scheyer said the unnamed staff member had a bloody lip and was “disheveled and didn’t know what happened” when the team reconvened in the locker room last Saturday after the game in the Dean E. Smith Center.

“He got trampled on the floor,” Scheyer said. “That was my main concern after the game. That’s why I said what I said. It was not a good situation. But he’s doing better, he’s fine, ready to move on. I don’t have anything more to say other than that was a very unsafe situation for him, our staff, our families, our players.”

The alleged incident occurred during a chaotic final sequence at the end of Duke’s loss to the Tar Heels. North Carolina’s Seth Trimble hit what initially appeared to be a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, prompting students and fans to rush the court. After a review, though, officials added 0.4 seconds back on the clock. Duke was unable to get a shot off and the Tar Heels sealed the come-from-behind victory, leading to another court storm.

Scheyer had initially said in the moments after the game that he had staff members who were punched in the face, rather than a single staffer who was trampled.

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said he apologized to Scheyer before he went into his post-game news conference and said it’s “just very disappointing” someone was injured.

The Tar Heels were fined $50,000 on Sunday by the ACC for violating the league’s court-storming policy.

“We accept the ACC’s fine for having unauthorized people on the court before Duke and the officials could completely clear the floor on Saturday,” North Carolina said in a statement. “The video we have reviewed confirms we followed our protocols to get Duke’s players and bench personnel and the game officials off the floor safely. We will continue to review our protocols to provide the highest measures of safety in the event fans rush the court. We consider this matter closed and look forward to the rest of the season.”

The loss was only Duke’s second of the season, dropping it two spots to No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. The Blue Devils led for 37:39 of a possible 40 minutes and were ahead of the Tar Heels by as many as 13 points. Trimble’s shot with 0.4 seconds left gave North Carolina its first and only lead of the game.

“I’m a big boy, can take losing,” Scheyer said on the teleconference Monday. “Great college game. Carolina played great.”

Noahkai Banks may be making a big impression in the Bundesliga this season, but the young defender won’t be making a trip to the World Cup this summer, according to Alexi Lalas.

Banks has become a regular starter this season for Augsburg at age 19. The 6-foot-4 defender is considered one of the best American defensive prospects in many years and has earned one U.S. men’s national team call-up.

‘I saw him playing in Germany, and he’s a massive talent,’ USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said after naming Banks to his roster for September friendlies against South Korea and Japan.

‘You never know how he can explode — maybe at the end of the season he can be the best center back in Europe or in Germany.’

Banks did not participate in either match and wasn’t called up for the USMNT’s remaining four matches last fall.

That lack of experience may end up proving costly for Banks’ World Cup hopes. As the USMNT prepares for two final matches in March before the World Cup roster is named, Lalas thinks it may already be too late for the talented teenager.

‘So we’re going to start the World Cup with somebody that doesn’t have a single minute playing for the U.S. men’s national team? I don’t think that’s off base for me to be wary of that, or me to be skeptical of that actually happening.’

Lalas was responding to co-host Stu Holden, who tipped Banks for a potential World Cup spot.

‘He has great size,’ the former USMNT midfielder said. ‘I know he’s 19 years old, but his experience that he’s picking up right now, it’s such a high level. He has a lot of tools that I don’t see anywhere else in the center back pool.’

But Lalas said the March games against Belgium and Portugal won’t be the time for experimenting.

‘According to Pochettino, it’s as if the World Cup just started,’ he said. ‘So I want the best 11 playing in whatever formation it is that you believe we are going to play in the World Cup.

‘And so I don’t understand what leads Stu or others to believe that Pochettino is going to have this player that nobody has seen actually play for the U.S. before not only be there, but in many cases start.’

Lalas added: ‘I’m excited about Noahkai Banks, don’t get me wrong. … Starting consistently over there for a young player is a good thing for the future.’

One day before MLB teams start reporting to spring training, the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers have completed a six-player trade with third baseman Caleb Durbin headlining the return for Boston.

The Red Sox acquired Durbin, the Brewers’ starting third baseman last season, along with utilityman Andruw Monasterio and catcher/third baseman Anthony Siegler from Milwaukee in exchange for pitchers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan, plus infielder David Hamilton. The Red Sox also received a 2026 competitive balance draft pick in the deal.

Durbin, 25, had a solid rookie season for the Brew Crew in 2025, slashing .256/.334/.387 with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases. He underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery in October but should be ready for spring training.

Durbin can also play second base, which was his primary position in the minor leagues. He and Monasterio join an infield mix that also includes prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell, along with veterans Romy Gonzalez and free agent signee Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Two players out of that group will likely fill the second- and third-base spots in Boston, with veteran Trevor Story as the everyday shortstop.

Brewers’ return in Caleb Durbin trade

In return, the Brewers reacquired Hamilton, who played mostly second base last year in Boston but could compete for Durbin’s spot at third. However, he’s coming off a poor offensive season in 2025 in which he hit .198/.257/.333 in 194 plate appearances, though he did have 22 stolen bases in 28 attempts.

The Brewers originally drafted Hamilton in 2019, but sent him to Boston with outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. for outfielder Hunter Renfroe before the 2022 season.

The left-handed Harrison, 24, came to Boston last season as part of the Rafael Devers deal with San Francisco. He appeared in just three games with the Red Sox, posting a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings.

Over 42 major league appearances (37 starts), Harrison has a 4.39 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.

MILAN ― American speed skaters Erin Jackson and Brittany Bowe came up empty in the women’s 1,000 meters at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Monday, Feb. 9.

Jackson briefly held the lead before finishing sixth place. Bowe was in third before the final pairing and finished in fourth.

It was the beginning of Jackson’s quest to add to her Olympic medal collection. She will try to defend her Olympic title in the 500m on Sunday, Feb. 15.

‘I’m super stoked,’ Jackson said. ‘That was my second-best result in the 1,000 ever. Last time I wasn’t even competing in the 1,000 at the Olympics. It’s a distance that I’ve had a ton of respect for, and I’ve just been trying to get better and better at it.

‘So, I couldn’t be happier … well, I could be happier with a medal.’

Bowe, 37, also will compete in the 500, giving her another shot to add to her bronze in the 1,000 meters in 2018 and again in 2022. But this will be her last chance for Olympic hardware, as she has said she will retire after the 2025-26 season.

‘Strong race. I gave it my best effort and left it all out there,’ Bowe said. ‘Obviously, tough finishing in what most would think is the hardest position in the Olympc games in fourth place. In the same breath, just such an honor to be able to be out there and my name continuing to be in that very elite pack of ladies.

Jutta Leerdam, Jake Paul’s fiancee, won the gold medal while setting an Olympic record with a time of 1:12.31. Leerdam’s Netherlands teammate Femke Kok won the silver and Miho Takagi of Japan won the bronze.

Erin Jackson bolts into first

Jackson took over the lead in the 11th pairing by completing the race in 1:15.00, .46 seconds lead over Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands. Jackson finished strong, sizzling through the backstretch.

Short-lived lead

Femke Kok of the Netherlands vaulted into the lead in the 13th pairing while setting the Olympic record with a time of 1:12.59. America’s Brittany Bowe moved into second, dropping Jackson into third place. And after the next pairing, Jackson dropped into fourth place, out of medal contention.

Featured pairings

Jackson will be paired with Min-Sun Kim of South Korea in the 11th slot.

Brittany Bowe will be paired with the Netherlands’ Femke Kok, the world’s No. 1 ranked speed skater in the 1,000m, in the 13th spot.

Mile High flavor

The Milano Speed Skating is beginning to look like the Denver Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Which is to say lots of orange, the color in which Netherland fans are decked out. And, of course, the color proud Broncos fans wear. The fans from Netherlands are here in particular to cheer on one of their speed skating stars, Leerdam.

Why do they wear orange? According to the Dutch Amsterdam website, here’s why: ‘Orange is the color of the Dutch Royal Family, which hails from the House of Orange.” Wearing orange is a way to pay tribute to the Dutch Royal Family.

Orange you amazed?

With the competition underway, this place is dripping Netherlands orange. Suzanne Schulting, in the first pairing, has given them something to get fired up about: Through six pairings, she holds the lead with a time of 1:15.46.

Star sighting

Among the spectators is Allyson Felix, the retired American track star who won 11 Olympic medals, including seven golds.

Erin Jackson rolled

On a circuitous path, Jackson started as an inline skater and also joined a roller derby team before taking up speed skating. She competed in roller derby as recently as 2023.

‘I decided for my health and for my back safety that I should probably put that on hold for a little bit,’ she said. ‘ … I’d love to get back to it.’

Even though she’ll be competing in her first race of the 2026 Olympics Feb. 9, Jackson already is off to a memorable start. She served as one of Team USA’s two flag bearers during the opening ceremony.

How to watch Erin Jackson at Olympics

NBC broadcasts the Olympics, and its streaming service Peacock has all the events live.

Watch the Olympics on Peacock

MILAN, Italy – In some circles, Jutta Leerdam is best known as Jake Paul’s fiancée. But here at the 2026 Winter Olympics, she is a speed skating star.

Leerdam, a 27-year-old from the Netherlands, will compete in the women’s 1,000 meters at 11:30 a.m. ET Monday, Feb. 9. Peacock will provide coverage.

In a field of 30 speed skaters that includes American Erin Jackson, Leerdam is expected to win a medal. It would not be her first.

She won a silver in the 1,000m at the 2022 Winter Olympics and and has captured six European championships and seven world championships.

During the 2025-26 season, she won two out of the first three World Cup events and three out of the first five.

Watch the Winter Olympics on Peacock

Femke Kok sets new Olympic record

Femke Kok vaulted the Netherlands back to the top of the leaderboard, and in Olympc record time. Kok, the top speedskater in the world at 1,000 meters posted a time of 1:12.59 in her pairing against American Brittany Bowe. Bowe was also fast, skating to a time of 1:14.55 to put her in second.

American Erin Jackson bolts into first

Jackson took over the lead in the 11th pairing by completing the race in 1:15.00, .46 seconds lead over Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands. Jackson finished strong, sizzling through the backstretch.

Jake Paul posts support for Leerdam

Jake Paul showed support to fiancee Jutta Leerdam on social media ahead of her race today.

Speed skating halftime

The Zambonis are out on the ice to resurface the lanes for the 1,000 meters with 8 of 15 pairings now complete. The Netherlands’ Suzanne Schulting remains in gold medal position, with Czechia’s Nikola Zdrahalova in silver medal position and Natalia Czerwonka in bronze medal position.

Jutta Leerdam will be in the 15th and final pairing and will race after knowing the time to beat for 28 of 30 racers.

Dutch skater takes early lead in 1,000 meters

One of Jutta Leerdam’s teammates, Suzanne Schulting, has sped to the top of the leaderboard after four pairings (8 skaters). Schulting was in the very pairing and posted a time of 1:15.46. She currently holds a +0.71 lead with many of the top skaters, including Leerdam, still to come.

How to watch Jutta Leerdam in Olympic speedskating 1,000 meters

The women’s 1,000-meter speedskating race begins at 5:30 p.m. ET. The race and will be televised on USA Network and can be streamed on Peacock.

When does Jutta Leerdam skate in Olympic speedskating 1,000 meters?

Jutta Leerdam will be in the 15th and final pairing of the event, racing against Japan’s Miho Takagi. Leerdam is the No. 2 ranked speedskater in the world in the 1,000 meters, while Takagi is ranked fourth in the distance.

Orange crush

The Milano Speed Skating is beginning to look like the Denver Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Which is to say lots of orange, the color in which Netherland fans are decked out. And, of course, the color proud Broncos fans wear. The fans from Netherlands are here in particular to cheer on one of their speed skating stars, Leerdam.

Why do they wear orange? According to the Dutch Amsterdam website, here’s why: ‘Orange is the color of the Dutch Royal Family, which hails from the House of Orange.” Wearing orange is a way to pay tribute to the Dutch Royal Family.

How old is Jutta Leerdam?

The Dutch speedskating star is 27. She was born Dec. 30, 1998 in ‘s-Gravenzande, Netherlands.

Jake Paul delivers flowers  

On Sunday, Paul posted a video on his Instagram page showing him presenting flowers to Leerdam at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.

“Thank you for coming,’’ Leerdam told Paul after kissing him.

Paul, indicating he was addressing the couple’s future children, looked at the camera and said, “Hey little kids. You guys are not even born yet but we’re making a video for you. …Your mom is about to go for gold.’’

The couple started dating in the spring of 2023 and got engaged in March 2025.

In recent years, Leerdam has supported Paul during his boxing matches. Now Paul will be the cheerleader.

He is expected to be among the spectators at Milano Speed Stadium to watch Leerdam’s first race of these Olympics. Leerdam also will compete in the 500m Feb. 15, when Jackson, the American star, will try to defend her Olympic title in the event.

The Seattle Seahawks topped the New England Patriots 29-13 in the 2026 Super Bowl behind a standout performance from the ‘Dark Side’ defense and the rushing of game MVP Kenneth Walker III.

USA TODAY will have continued coverage of aftermath of Super Bowl 60 all week as the NFL heads into its offseason. Return here throughout Feb. 9 for the latest updates from Santa Clara and around the league.

What was the best Super Bowl commercial of 2026? The people have spoken

USA TODAY Ad Meter took the pulse of the nation on this year’s lineup of Super Bowl commercials, and there were certainly some memorable entries into the cultural sphere. But which was best? Ad Meter voters spoke, with a Super Bowl break icon coming out on top again. Find out who won here.

– Eric Larsen

Looking for Seahawks Super Bowl 60 championship gear? USA TODAY has you covered

From commemorative page prints of USA TODAY’s post-Super Bowl edition to Seahawks championship gear, USA TODAY has Seahawks fans covered. Click the link below to find items to help any diehard 12 celebrate Seattle’s second Lombardi Trophy win.

Buy Seahawks championship pages, gear

– Eric Larsen

Recap: Watch Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl 60 victory press conference:

The NFL held its post-Super Bowl 60 press conference with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at 11:30 a.m. ET, Feb. 9. You can watch a recap of the brief appearance from Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald and running back Kenneth Walker III here:

– Eric Larsen

Mike Macdonald: Seahawks ‘chasing edges’ to stay ahead of NFL pack

Asked how the Seahawks will maintain their defensive advantage after a dominant run through the 2025 season, Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said, ‘We use the term ‘chasing edges’ here in Seattle. You can’t be copying everybody else.’

Macdonald said it till be up to the Seahawks to ‘keep pushing the envelope’ on their game plans as they begin their defense as Super Bowl champions.

– Eric Larsen

Kenneth Walker III: ‘It means a lot’ as RB to win Super Bowl MVP

Asked about the short list of running backs who’ve won Super Bowl MVP – the Denver Broncos’ Terrell Davis was the last halfback to win the award, in Super Bowl 32 – Walker said, ‘It means a lot to have my name on that list.’

– Eric Larsen