Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was sued last week by another female massage therapist. That makes 24 different women now to have filed a civil lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct by Watson.
The 24th and most recent lawsuit was filed in Harris County, Texas, and notes that Watson underwent two separate massages at the apartment of the massage therapist in August 2020. Watson abruptly ended the first of those massages after receiving a phone call, with the session being otherwise routine. The second session allegedly involved Watson exposing and then fondling himself in front of the woman.
“Watson offered no apology or explanation for his conduct,” the lawsuit states, according to media reports. “He instead got dressed, paid the plaintiff $150 via Cash App and left. Plaintiff was left humiliated and traumatized. Shortly after the massage, the plaintiff called her close friend to tell her what happened. They both were mortified by Watson’s conduct. There were no further massage sessions. She shortly quit the massage therapy.”
Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, issued a statement Monday afternoon in response to the latest lawsuit.
“We are unable to respond to the new lawsuit at this time,” the statement said. “Our legal team has not had time to investigate this new filing and had not heard her name until today. Deshaun continues to deny he did anything inappropriate with any of the plaintiffs.”
The first 22 of the lawsuits against Watson were filed in March and April of last year, with the National Football League (NFL) also conducting a separate investigation into the matter. All of the alleged incidents involving Watson occurred while he was a member of the Houston Texans.
All of the women filing the lawsuits are represented by attorney Tony Buzbee.
“Today we filed the twenty-fourth case alleging sexual misconduct against Deshaun Watson,” a statement from Buzbee read. “The allegations made in this new case are strikingly similar to those made by many of the other victims. Lost in the media frenzy surrounding Deshaun Watson is that these are twenty-four strong, courageous women who, despite ridicule, legal shenanigans, and intense media scrutiny, continue to stand firm for what is right.”
The 23rd lawsuit claiming sexual harassment and assault was filed earlier last week by a woman named Nia Smith. Her lawsuit claims that Watson’s legal team contacted her before she filed the complaint “in an effort to intimidate her.” One of Watson’s lawyers allegedly told Smith “that they were going to fight the cases to the fullest extent” and asserted “black women must stick together.”
Watson sat out the entire 2021 NFL season while prosecutors investigated the allegations against him to determine if any criminal charges were warranted.
In March of this year, a Harris County grand jury found that not enough evidence existed to charge Watson with sexual misconduct. One week later, he was traded to the Browns, with whom he signed a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract. On March 24, a second grand jury in Brazoria County, Texas, also rejected an indictment of Watson on the charge of sexual misconduct.
One of Watson’s attorneys, Leah Graham, appeared last month on the HBO program “Real Sports” where she reiterated that Watson “did nothing wrong” and had “no regrets.”
“As he testified in his depositions last week, yes, he has no regrets because he did nothing wrong,” Graham said. “He did nothing wrong in these massages. And although—to your first question, ‘How can he be innocent?’ I think the real question is, ‘What evidence is there of any guilt?'”
Watson also testified that he had consensual sex with three massage therapists during pre-trial depositions. Graham was asked to explain that.
“Well, in every massage, I will tell you he did go intending just for a professional massage, and only those three instances where sexual conduct occurred – consensual sexual activity – it occurred after the massage session had ended,” Graham said. “And, Mr. Watson has testified and is insistent that that sexual activity was initiated by the plaintiff in every single instance.”
Two women suing Watson, Kyla Hayes and Ashley Solis, were interviewed and offered graphic depictions of Watson’s alleged actions toward them on that same program. Hayes told HBO that Watson exposed and fondled himself in front of her, which she described as “mortifying and embarrassing and disgusting.”
Solis said that Watson committed a similar act during a massage session, leaving her crying and forcing her to end the session abruptly. During a pre-trial deposition, Watson testified that Solis did get “teary-eyed” during their session. Although he claimed he did not know why she was crying, Watson testified that he texted Solis an apology in the aftermath for “[her] feeling uncomfortable.”
As Watson’s off-the-field legal situation continues, his playing status with the NFL remains uncertain. Recently, he has been taking part in offseason workouts with the Browns. Watson could be suspended for an undetermined time for the 2022 season. It is also possible that any suspension will not occur until all civil lawsuits have been litigated.
