On Thursday, four more women accused Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct in separate lawsuits – bringing the total to seven, accusing him of wrongdoing.
All four plaintiffs, who filed for Jane Doe’s role in Harris County District Court, were massage therapists, spa workers or bodywork specialists who accused the NFL star of exposing herself and repeatedly touching them with her penis.
Like the other three women who accused Watson of sexual misconduct this week, most were contacted on Instagram by the NFL player, according to lawsuits filed by his lawyer Anthony Buzbee.
The lawyer said he will file lawsuits against five more prosecutors in the next few days – and that his office is investigating 10 other similar allegations.
“It takes a lot of courage, a lot of courage to step forward when dealing with someone powerful,” Buzbee told reporters late on Friday afternoon.
“Like it or not, the sport is great. People follow sports blindly and irrationally and don’t like to believe in the victims. That’s the way it is.”
Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement that he was “extremely proud” to represent the footballer and “to fully support him against what we believe to be unfounded charges”.
He said he could not comment further until the allegations were reviewed.
“We will respond next week and ask you to keep an open mind until we do,” said Hardin. After the first lawsuit was opened, Watson said in a statement on Tuesday that he was being unjustly pursued by a lawyer “in search of publicity”.
“I have never treated any woman with anything but the utmost respect,” he said. “The plaintiff’s lawyer states that it is not about money, but before filing the lawsuit he made an unfounded six-figure agreement request, which I quickly rejected. Unlike him, it is not about money for me – it is – to clear my name, and I’m looking forward to doing that. “
In an alleged incident on September 24 last year in a Houston salon, Watson often moved “his body in a way that would repeatedly touch his penis” to the woman’s hand, according to his civil complaint.
“The plaintiff was shocked and walked away from him,” says the lawsuit. “Lying on the table on his back, Watson ejaculated. The Claimant immediately interrupted the session and left the room. Watson dressed and left. The Claimant felt violated and disgusted.”
- In a June 2 session at a Houston spa, Watson exposed himself “several times” and “moved his body to make his penis touch the plaintiff”, who was “absolutely terrified”, according to the lawsuit . The June 2 plaintiff appears to be Watson’s first accuser to say that she had experience in massage therapy for football players and other “high level athletes”.
- At a spa meeting in October, Watson reportedly tried to touch the therapist’s hand with his penis and complained that she was “wearing too many clothes”, accusing Buzbee.
- Watson “kissed without pleading” another plaintiff during a Nov. 2 session in his office, the suit said. As Watson moved his penis towards the woman, he “told her he would pay extra for the plaintiff to work in these areas,” according to the civil complaint.
Three massage therapists and Buzbee clients filed separate lawsuits earlier this week, accusing Watson of similar allegations of sexual misconduct, including a woman who claimed to have been forced to have oral sex.
Harris County sheriff’s deputies received no complaints of sexual assault against Watson, a department spokesman said on Friday.
A Houston police spokesman said on Friday that the department was unable to confirm or deny any ongoing investigation. Buzbee said his office will hand over all of its findings to the police.
“Sexual assault is real. Victims must be heard, offenders prosecuted,” Watson’s agent David Mulugheta said in a statement. statement on Friday.
“Individuals often make up stories in search of financial gain. Their victims must be heard, and these criminals must also be prosecuted. I simply hope that we maintain that same energy with the truth.”
The NFL told the Houston Texans on Thursday that the league has started an investigation into the charges against Watson, officials said.
“The NFL has informed us today that it is going to conduct an investigation into the allegations made in the civil lawsuits filed against Deshaun Watson. We will maintain close contact with the league as they do, “a Houston Texans spokesman said by email.
“We continue to take this and all matters that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We do not anticipate making any additional statements until the NFL investigation is complete.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told NBC News in an email that “the matter is under review by the league’s personal conduct policy”. Regardless of a conviction or criminal investigation, the NFL can suspend Watson if it finds that he violated the league’s personal conduct policy, including sexual misconduct, according to the NFL website.
Watson played four seasons for the Texans, but it needs to be negotiated. His future has been a point of incessant speculation since the end of the 2020 season, when he pitched for 4,823 yards.
