HOUSTON – Two of the 22 women who filed lawsuits against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, alleging sexual assault and inappropriate behavior, came out publicly during a news conference on Tuesday.
Ashley Solis, who lawyer Tony Buzbee said was the first massage therapist to file a case against Watson, spoke at the news conference. Lauren Baxley wrote a letter to Watson that was read by attorney Cornelia Brandfield-Harvey.
“I started doing therapeutic massages to heal people,” said Solis. “To heal their minds and bodies. To bring peace to their souls. Deshaun Watson stole this from me. He took it from me, he tainted a profession of which I am extremely proud … I suffer from panic attacks, anxiety and depression I am in counseling due to the actions of Deshaun Watson. I hope he knows how much pain he inflicted on me emotionally and physically. And I hope he knows how much pain he inflicted on these other survivors. “
“People say I’m doing this for money only,” said Solis. “This is false. I introduce myself now so that Deshaun Watson does not attack another woman.”
In his letter to Watson, Baxley wrote: “Every frontier, from professional and therapeutic to sexual and degrading, you have crossed or tried to cross”.
Baxley said he wrote the letter to Watson on the recommendation of his trauma therapist to “forgive me for not speaking before” and also “so that you can know, without excuse or justification, that it has brought profound and irreversible terror to me and others . “
“Initially, I came forward to offer solidarity to other women, but since then I have realized that I also deserve justice,” wrote Baxley. “I hope that the court will bring that justice, and that you will be deprived of your power and ability to hurt more women.”
Buzbee said at the press conference that Solis and at least one of his clients provided statements to the police.
On Friday, the Houston Police Department said in a statement that it started an investigation of Watson after a complainant filed a report.
“As with any allegation, the Houston Police Department is conducting an investigation and will no longer comment during the investigation process,” the department said in a statement. It does not specify what Watson is being accused of in the complaint.
Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement on Friday that he and Watson will “cooperate fully with the Houston Police Department”.
“We welcome this long-awaited development,” said Hardin. “Now we are going to find out the identity of at least one prosecutor. We are going to cooperate fully with the Houston Police Department.”
In a letter on Monday to Texas season ticket holders that is regularly sent out in the spring, the McNair family addressed civil cases and a complaint filed with the Houston Police Department against Watson, saying, “We want to assure you that we accept these claims very seriously.
“While we await the conclusion of these investigations, we express our strong stance against any form of sexual assault,” says the letter. “Our family and the entire Houston Texans organization are deeply concerned about any form of abuse and we condemn this type of behavior.”