On March 18, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee filed three lawsuits against Texan quarterback Deshaun Watson on behalf of three massage therapists who allege misconduct and sexual assault. Now, Buzbee has filed a total of seven lawsuits, and as ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop writes that at least five more are 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 is not going to go away, and Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, says an answer is at hand, via Mark Berman from Fox 26:
“I am extremely proud to represent Deshaun Watson and to fully support him against what we believe are allegations without merit. However, we will wait to comment in detail until we complete our review of Mr. Buzbee’s numerous evolving claims. We will respond next week and ask you to keep an open mind until we do. “
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 Pro Bowler’s three-fold trade demand, and on March 19 – even after the seventh lawsuit – 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 informed.
“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, for Wilson:
“What Deshaun Watson was accused obviously doesn’t match what we hear and know about him as a really great person, but you can’t ignore these serious allegations. What that means is making sure that you” are doing your homework and certifying make sure you have 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.