“He was never dodging the police,” said Mallory Hughes, one of his attorneys, noting that the now-recuperating player had a lengthy drive to get to Omaha. She and Stu Dornan, another attorney for Watson, noted the following timeline:

» They and Watson didn’t learn of the arrest warrant against him until Thursday evening, when it appeared in the news media. He was in Philadelphia at that time.

» Watson and his family began the 1,200-mile drive to Omaha on Friday.

» Their drive was slowed by the snowstorm across the nation’s midsection and the care needed for Watson as he recovered from knee surgery.

“That’s a trip that takes hours and hours,” Hughes said. She said Watson’s doctors had told him that he shouldn’t spend long periods in the car without a break.

Watson grew up in Philadelphia, which is why he returned there for surgery and rehabilitation.

His attorneys have denied the allegations against him.

Watson was a fan favorite during his time on the court and had been a candidate for Big East and national player of the year honors. On Friday, he was notified that he had been banned from the Creighton campus, according to university officials.