Texans fined, stripped of 5th-round pick for salary cap reporting violation

The NFL has fined the Houston Texans $175,000 and stripped the organization of a fifth-round pick for a salary cap reporting violation in 2020, the league announced Thursday.

The league determined that the Texans compensated then-quarterback Deshaun Watson with a membership at an alternate athletic facility in 2020. The NFL's CBA states teams must report any player compensation or benefit.

The Texans responded that they disagree with the league's ruling, but will accept the penalty and "move forward." The club explained that they gained no salary-cap advantage from the incident.

Houston was paying for Watson to train while its facility was closed due to COVID-19, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"During the 2020 league year and while its facilities were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the club absorbed $26,777 in costs for player benefits for the use of alternate athletic facilities, which it understands should have been charged instead to player salaries," the Texans said in a statement.

Watson was traded from the Texans to the Cleveland Browns last offseason.

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