• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Saudi Arabia’s Latest Sports Ambassador Is Deshaun Watson

  • The QB was in the country to promote American football and meet with Saudi royalty.
  • The NFL currently doesn’t permit investment from sovereign wealth funds, but likely will soon.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Saudi Arabia’s plan to buy up every inch of global sports shows no signs of stopping. Having become a major player in golf and soccer and a significant force in tennis and dozens of other sports, the nation’s interest in the NFL is clear.

The U.S.’s biggest sports league currently bans sovereign wealth funds (and institutional money of all kinds) from owning teams, but it’s probably only a matter of time before Roger Goodell and the owners change their rules to let more money in the door.

Abdullah Bin Mosaad—a Saudi prince who loves the NFL so much that he has “49er” in his X handle and was once described by an ESPN writer as “one of the most rabid fantasy football players I’ve come across”—recently welcomed Deshaun Watson on an apparent goodwill trip to his country. Watson posted a picture of himself and the prince holding Browns and 49ers helmets on Instagram.

“I had a nice time visiting Saudi Arabia and learned a lot about the original Saudi culture and society,” Watson wrote Tuesday evening, adding that he went to several Saudi soccer games. He tagged the prince in his post and added, “God willing, we will see [football emoji] in Saudi Arabia soon.” In a video, Watson talked about what it would take to get a major football game to the country and region.

Watson, the disgraced Browns quarterback, was suspended for 11 games in 2022 over extensive allegations that he sexually assaulted and harassed massage therapists. Watson settled 23 suits from women who claimed he sexually assaulted them between ’20 and ’21, paying out millions of dollars in settlements and league fines. At least one suit remains in the court system, where Watson may have to testify again this year.

He’s perhaps an apt partner for the Saudi regime, whose own pioneering American golf partner, Phil Mickelson, trashed the country in a 2022 interview. “They’re scary motherf***ers to get involved with,” Mickelson—again, someone who took $200 million from LIV—said. “We know they killed [Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay.”

Bin Mosaad, the 49ers-mad prince, is also the primary owner of English Premier League team Sheffield United, where he recently announced the firing of the head coach in a live radio interview. He previously ran what is now known as Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport.

“we really enjoyed having you in Saudi,” he replied to Watson. “I wish you and your family health and happiness, I wish you the best of luck in every game you play except when you play against you know who!” 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Sophie Cunningham

WNBA Expansion Decisions Show League Prioritizes North, NBA Ties

One player ripped the league for its geographic choices.

Commanders’ $3.8B Stadium Deal in Jeopardy? Mayor Sounds the Alarm

Political tensions rise about delays in stadium funding approval.

Featured Today

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena
June 26, 2025

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.
exclusive

WNBA Players Reject League’s First CBA Offer

Players felt the initial proposal wasn’t “entirely responsive” to their request.
Nov 29, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) celebrates a shot in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
July 1, 2025

Malik Beasley’s Messy Offseason Includes $2.25M Suit From Ex-Agency

The former Pistons player is not having a good summer.
July 2, 2025

As NBA Free Agency Quiets, Focus Shifts to Potential Extensions

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a four-year, $285 million extension.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
July 1, 2025

Gauff, Pegula Out at Wimbledon in Nightmare Start for American Women, ESPN

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, entering Wimbledon.
Dewanna Bonner
exclusive
July 1, 2025

WNBA Cutdown Deadline Could Spur Deals for DeWanna Bonner, Emma Meesseman

The two big-name free agents could find their WNBA homes in July.
Shai
July 1, 2025

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Becomes NBA’s First $70 Million Player

The superstar could’ve waited for an even bigger deal next year.
June 30, 2025

What Would a LeBron James L.A. Exit Look Like?

ESPN’s Bobby Marks said “there isn’t” a trade market for James.