Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is the subject of seven civil suits opened in mid-March accusing him of sexual assault. He was not criminally charged. Here are the cases:
Who is Deshaun Watson?
Deshaun Watson, 25, is a star quarterback for the Houston Texans, one of the best in the NFL in his position.
In September 2020, he signed a four-year contract extension worth almost $ 111 million guaranteed, linking him to the Texans until 2025. But Watson, disenchanted with the poor movement of staff and the failure to keep his promise to include you in the search process for a new trainer and general manager, requested an exchange. Watson has a no-trade clause, so he can choose his next destination. But Texans emphasized in January that they have no intention of negotiating it, creating an impasse for more than two months.
Last year, Watson grew to become a leading voice among black players who protested racial injustice and police brutality. During the off-season of 2020, he participated in a player-led video that urged the league to support player protests, and after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, Watson marched with his family – Floyd grew up in Houston – in a downtown protest.
What is Watson being accused of?
Seven women accused Watson of assaulting civil suits in Harris County, Texas. The attorney representing them, Tony Buzbee, said that up to 15 other women echoed allegations of sexual misconduct and coercive behavior against Watson.
While the seven lawsuits filed so far share many similarities, only one – in which Watson would have pressured a woman to have oral sex during a massage – includes a allegation of sexual assault, although they all claim that Watson coerced women into touching him. a sexual way. All lawsuits accuse Watson of an obscene pattern of behavior in incidents from March to December 2020: exposing himself to women he hired for massages; ordering women to massage sensitive areas such as the groin and inner thigh; and moving your body in a way that forced them to touch your penis.
Meredith J. Duncan, who teaches civil and criminal law at the University of Houston Law Center, defined civil aggression as intentionally or intentionally touching someone in a way that a reasonable person would consider offensive.
“It turns out that in this case, the civilian attack involves your genitals,” said Duncan. “But forcing someone else to perform a sexual act is a more aggravated form of sexual assault.”
Watson has not commented publicly since the night of March 16, when the first complaint was filed. He said on Twitter that he “never treated any woman with anything but the utmost respect” and that he rejected “an unfounded six-figure settlement request” made by Buzbee before the first lawsuit was opened.
Rusty Hardin, who represents Watson, issued a statement on March 19 calling the charges against his client “without merit”. That same day, Watson’s agent, David Mulugheta, publicly defended your customer on social media posts.
Will Watson face criminal charges?
The Houston Police Department said in a statement March 19 that “was unaware of any contact between HPD and attorney Tony Buzbee of Houston regarding the allegations contained in their recently filed lawsuits and no incident reports related to those allegations have been filed in our jurisdiction.”
Will the NFL take any action?
The league opened an investigation into Watson’s conduct on March 18. In a letter addressed to Buzbee, Lisa Friel, a special lawyer for the league’s investigations, requested the cooperation of the accusers. A league spokesman said the matter was being considered in relation to the NFL’s personal conduct policy. This policy governs off-field behavior involving players and coaches.
The Texans said in a statement the same day that “they will continue to take this and all matters that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously” and that the team would not comment further until the league investigation was over, a process without public schedule.
Who is Tony Buzbee?
Tony Buzbee is a Houston plaintiffs’ lawyer who has worked on personal injury cases for years, but is perhaps best known for his involvement in mass wrongdoing and class action, including litigation after Hurricane Ike and the BP oil spill. in the Gulf of Mexico a decade ago. He does not appear to have represented many women in cases of sexual assault.
A former Marine, Buzbee displays his extraordinary personality and wealth on social media. The first two words on the Buzbee law firm website are “Just Win” and he sports a shark tattoo on his right forearm.
Although he said he does not support Texans, Buzbee, a Texas A&M graduate, in 2014 placed 10 billboards asking the now deceased team owner, Bob McNair, to hire Johnny Manziel, an Aggies quarterback; McNair did not follow his advice. Buzbee lives on the same elegant street in Houston as Texas President Cal McNair, but said at a news conference that he does not know McNair. Buzbee also ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Houston in 2019.
Who is Rusty Hardin?
A former Texas state prosecutor who became a defense attorney, Rusty Hardin represented a number of prominent clients, from famous athletes to accounting firm Arthur Andersen in the Enron scandal. He also worked in the independent attorney’s office on the Whitewater investigation during the Clinton administration.
Among the athletes he defended are pitcher Roger Clemens, against accusations of perjury in 2012; NFL running back Adrian Peterson, who was charged with criminal child abuse in 2014; and NBA star James Harden, who was accused in 2017 of paying four people to attack and steal Moses Malone, Jr., son of the NBA Hall of Fame player.