On March 18, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee filed three lawsuits against the Texas quarterback Deshaun Watson on behalf of three massage therapists alleging misconduct and sexual assault. Now, Buzbee has filed a total of seven lawsuits and, as Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com writes, at least five more will be on the way.
No criminal charges or complaints have been filed against Watson, but according to Barshop, Buzbee is pushing to change that. The lawyer plans to present depositions and evidence on the alleged misconduct to the Houston Police Department and the Houston Public Prosecutor’s Office on Monday morning, and will also request a grand jury to consider the evidence.
Obviously, this is part of Buzbee’s effort to increase his influence in his civil cases, and the fact that he is submitting testimonies and evidence to the DA’s office does not mean that the DA will believe that these materials represent a probable cause for initiating criminal proceedings . Still, it is clear that this issue will not go away, and Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, says an answer is at hand.
“I am extremely proud to represent Deshaun Watson and to fully support him against what we believe to be allegations without merit,” Said Hardin. “However, we will wait to comment in detail until we have completed our review of Mr. Buzbee’s countless evolving claims. We will respond next week and ask you to keep an open mind until we do. ” (Twitter Link via Mark Berman of FOX 26).
Until the start of the lawsuits, Watson was in the headlines for reasons related to football. He and the Texans were playing a chicken game over the three-time Pro Bowler’s trade demand, and on March 19 – even after the seventh lawsuit – the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reported that several clubs remained interested in negotiating with Watson . This includes the Eagles, whose interest had not been previously reported.
“We need to know more facts before making a firm decision about a negotiation, but, yes, we are still interested,” said an NFL executive. “How could you not be interested in Deshaun Watson possibly being your quarterback? The guy is an incredible talent. “
Said another executive, “[w]What Deshaun Watson was accused of obviously does not match what we hear and know about him as a really great person, but you cannot ignore these serious claims. This means making sure you are doing your homework and having all the facts before you get heavily involved in business negotiations. There is the NFL investigation, the court thing and you have to let it all happen and make an informed decision. Yes, we are still very interested in Deshaun Watson. What he did on the field checks all the boxes for the quarterback game. “
If these allegations are not resolved in Watson’s favor in a short time, you can expect interested teams to stop chasing the Texan caller.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.