Deshaun Watson Will Pay Texans Teammates' Fines for COVID-19 Violations

Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson plans to pay the fines that his teammates received for attending the grand opening of the Lefty's restaurant franchise he partially owns.

"I told those guys I'm going to take care of it," Watson told reporters Wednesday. "We don't want to cause any other distractions."

ESPN's Sarah Barshop reported Tuesday the NFL was fining Watson and some of his teammates for violating the COVID-19 health and safety protocols during the event.

Brandin Cooks, Tytus Howard, Duke Johnson, Roderick Johnson, Charles Omenihu and Laremy Tunsil showed up to help Watson celebrate the opening of the franchise on Dec. 15:

At the time, Watson downplayed any possible COVID-19-related infractions.

"I mean, we had the masks," he said, per Barshop. "We did everything that we were supposed to do. Six feet from different people. It was a restaurant opening. It wasn't really an event. It was a grand opening of my restaurant."

To help limit the spread of and exposure to COVID-19, the NFL placed all 32 teams into its intensive protocol in November. The protocol outlines limits on player gatherings outside of a team facility, and the league had previously advised against gatherings of more than three individuals.

Per Barshop, one of the Texans players in question was fined $5,000, and Watson's financial penalty was the most severe because he organized the event by virtue of his ownership stake in the restaurant.

The NFL handed out fines to Derek Carr, Darren Waller and eight other Las Vegas Raiders players after they attended an event for Waller's foundation. The players had failed to adhere to mask guidelines for the full duration of their stay.