A Texas lawyer has filed 13 separate civil lawsuits with everyone’s sexual misconduct against Deshaun Watson.
The lawsuit was filed by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, who entered the court on behalf of several clients, alleging that Watson committed at least one act of sexual misconduct or assault against them. The clothes are all the same: in each case, Watson is accused of acting inappropriately after hiring a woman to give him a private massage.
After Watson filed his third lawsuit, which took place on March 18, the NFL confirmed to CBSSports.com that the league has opened an investigation against the Texans quarterback to see if he violates the NFL’s policy of personal conduct.
Here are the latest details on the allegations (Warning: there are some graphic details):
Lawsuit one
The allegations in the first lawsuit took place on March 30, 2020 at the home of the masseuse. In this lawsuit, which you can read here, the central allegation is that “Watson assaulted the Plaintiff by touching her with his penis.” According to the lawsuit, Watson allegedly reached out to a masseuse on Instagram and asked if she would be willing to give him a massage. Before the two agreed on anything, Watson allegedly asked the woman if the ‘focus’ of the massage could be ‘on his groin area’.
The woman claims that it became clear about 25 minutes after the session that “Watson wanted a massage for just one reason – sex.”
Eventually the woman started crying and before she could get Watson to leave, he apparently said, “I know you have a career and reputation, and I know you would hate it if someone messed with yours, just like “I do not want anyone to mess with mine.”
The woman saw it as a threat that Watson could ruin her career if she said anything.
Lawsuit two
The second lawsuit involves an incident that allegedly took place on August 28, 2020. Like the first case, Watson is accused of issuing a masseuse on Instagram. In this case, Watson is accused of exposing himself and touching the woman inappropriately. In this case, the woman was from Atlanta and Watson allegedly flew her to Houston where she had to massage him in a local hotel.
Before the day of the appointment, Watson allegedly asked the masseuse if she would be willing to work on his “gluten” and “groin” area. According to the woman, Watson became completely naked before the massage. After that happened, the woman pointed out that he should at least wear a towel, but Watson allegedly refused to put one on. After the woman realizes Watson wants more than a massage, she leaves the hotel room.
According to the lawsuit, Watson’s behavior is seen as ‘part of a disturbing pattern of preying on vulnerable women’.
Lawsuit three
The third lawsuit involves a situation that allegedly occurred on December 28, 2020. Watson is again accused of setting up a massage appointment by using the messaging feature on Instagram to contact a relatively unknown masseuse. In this case, the quarterback allegedly set up an appointment he had to keep in an office building in the Houston area.
According to this lawsuit, Watson actually forced the woman to ‘do oral sex on him’. According to ESPN.com, the woman in the lawsuit wrote that she felt “intimidated and threatened” and that she was afraid of what someone like Watson could do if she did not meet his demands.
Subsequent lawsuits
After the first three lawsuits came out, Buzbee said there would be more and that he was not exaggerating. The Texas attorney filed four more lawsuits on March 19. In the fourth lawsuit, Watson is accused of sexually assaulting one woman twice. The first alleged incident took place in September 2020 and the second assault allegedly took place in October 2020.
Watson was also hit on Monday with six more lawsuits, bringing the total to 13. According to one of the lawsuits filed by ESPN on Monday, Watson is accused of sexually assaulting a female massage therapist just weeks ago by ‘touching her’ with his penis and exposing himself. ‘
In the latest case filed Monday afternoon, it is alleged Watson harassed a professional esthetician and became improper while doing a massage in April 2020.
March 19, Buzbee said he talked to 10 other women about a possible lawsuit against Watson, which would bring the total to 22.
Watson’s answer
After Buzbee publicly announced that the first lawsuit would be filed, Watson immediately issued a statement on Twitter where he denied all the allegations against him.
“As a result of a post on social media by an advertising lawyer, I recently took notice of a lawsuit that was apparently filed against me,” Watson wrote. ‘I have not seen the complaint yet, but I know it: I have never treated any woman with the utmost respect. The plaintiff’s attorney claims that it is not about money, but before he filed a lawsuit, he had an unfounded six- a question of numerical resolution, which I quickly dismissed. Unlike him, it’s not about money for me; it’s about clearing my name, and I’m looking forward to doing it. ‘
Watson made that statement on March 16 after the first lawsuit was filed, but has not commented on the situation since the release of the second and third cases.
Reaction of the Texans
It appears the Texans found out about the first lawsuit on March 16, and after the allegations came out, the team quickly issued a statement.
“We became aware of a civil lawsuit in which Deshaun Watson was involved through a message on social media [on Tuesday night], “the team said.” This is the first time we’re hearing about it, and we hope to learn more soon. We take up accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization. We will await further information before making any additional statements regarding this incident. ‘
NFL investigates now
Buzbee shared a letter on March 18 that came from NFL senior vice president Lisa Friel, who runs the league’s special board of inquiry.
‘I have become aware of the lawsuits you have filed [March 17], as well as the one you submitted this morning, which contains various allegations of misconduct by Deshaun Watson, a player for the Houston Texans, ‘Friel wrote in a letter that Buzbee posted on Instagram (The report has since been deleted).’ I am writing to let you know that the league has opened an investigation into these allegations and to request the cooperation of your clients in our investigation. Such collaboration will begin with taking Zoom interviews with myself and another league investigator you will naturally be on. Let me know as soon as possible if your customers are willing to help us investigate their allegations. ‘
The Texans said they will stay in ‘close contact’ with the league throughout the course of the investigation.
While the league is now investigating, there is a chance Watson could be beaten with a penalty if the NFL finds the allegations meritorious. With an ongoing NFL investigation, it could also become more difficult for the Texans to trade their star quarterback, as other teams might want to see how the investigation plays out before entering into an agreement for the 25-year-old.
Possible police involvement
Although Watson is not currently being prosecuted, that could change. Buzbee claimed on March 19 that Houston police had reached out to him to find out about possible crimes committed. However, Houston police say they are “unaware” of any contact between the department and Buzbee. Although it is not clear whether contact has been made, Buzbee said he intends to work with authorities, and he also said during Friday’s press conference that he plans to pack for the police who will explain each incident. The lawyer also added that the submission of a police report will be part of his “next step. “
Although police do not appear to be involved, Buzbee said he would like to see a large jury convened to look at the evidence and decide whether to prosecute Watson.