Antonio Gates believes Deshaun Watson's career will survive the sexual misconduct allegations ... and he WILL set foot on an NFL field again.
Gates didn't make any predictions about how the legal action against Watson will play out ... but when speaking specifically to Watson's football career, he thinks the QB will weather the storm.
"He seems like a good dude," Gates tells TMZ Sports. "Obviously he made some -- I don't even know if he made these mistakes. But, if he did, hopefully he can recover from them. This is the land of the free. You always get second chances."
He continued ... "I do [think he will play again.] He's too good of a player, so I do. Hopefully, when all this unfolds, we'll see how it goes."
Fact is, talent seems to matter most when it comes to NFL teams -- just look at Ben Roethlisberger, who was accused of sexual misconduct on two separate occasions and has continued his NFL career.
Antonio Brown is also currently facing sexual misconduct allegations and is still in the NFL -- he just won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers.
It's important to note while Watson is facing 22 lawsuits in civil court. He has NOT been charged with a crime at the moment ... but the Houston Police Department has opened an investigation.
For his part, Watson has denied all allegations of wrongdoing -- claiming he's the target of an orchestrated money grab.