Editor’s note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
Civil lawsuits against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson continue to mount, with a new, 23rd suit filed Tuesday. It won’t be the last one filed, according to attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing the women who have accused Watson of sexual misconduct.
“I will be filing a 24th case soon,” Buzbee told the Associated Press via text message. He did not share more details on the forthcoming lawsuit.
More than two dozen lawsuits were filed against Watson in 2021, with 22 of those remaining active. A 23rd, filed on behalf of plaintiff Nia Smith, came after a recent segment on HBO’s Real Sports. She cited Watson saying that he has “no regrets” as part of her decision to go forward with the suit.
She says she had three encounters with Watson between June and early September 2020, and that the former Texans star’s “behavior grew worse during every massage.” During the first session, the quarterback “kept demanding Plaintiff to go inside of his anus,” the lawsuit reads.
The plaintiff reported the incident to her boss, but “was not offended and decided to give Watson the benefit of the doubt as she thought that maybe he was ashamed and embarrassed by this fetish.” In August, Watson reached out for a second massage, requesting that Smith’s boss would not be present for the session and that she would wear a sundress, which she ignored. She claims that his behavior escalated and that he grabbed her buttocks and repeatedly asked her “if she wanted his penis in her mouth,” leading her to feel “trapped” during the session.
He later returned for a third massage. “When Plaintiff tried to massage his legs, Watson became aggressive and demanded that she only massage his buttocks and made her massage that area. He repeatedly requested that Plaintiff have sex with him.” According to the lawsuit, Watson informed the plaintiff that he had a condom in his bag, and proceeded to touch her between her legs. She continued the massage from a distance away from him to avoid being groped by the quarterback and quit her job after the session.
Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, released a statement Tuesday, stating that the quarterback “vehemently denies the allegations,” as he has done with the other 22 active lawsuits.
Those filings detail graphic accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault during massage therapy sessions with Watson, ranging from Watson allegedly refusing to cover his genitals to him “touching [a plaintiff] with his penis and trying to force her to perform oral sex on him.”
During his introductory press conference with the Browns, who completed a trade with Houston for the quarterback earlier this year, Watson denied that he assaulted, harassed or disrespected any of the women. After the deal, Cleveland signed Watson to a new five-year contract worth $230 million in guaranteed money.
After a pair of grand jury hearings in Texas, Watson no longer faces criminal complaints stemming from the accusations. On March 11, a grand jury in Harris County returned nine “no” decisions on criminal complaints against Watson, concluding the criminal proceedings against him. On March 24, a grand jury in Brazoria County declined to charge Watson on a 10th criminal count.
Last week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league is “nearing the end” of the league’s investigation into Watson’s conduct, but no time line has been established on when a league ruling on a potential suspension may come down.
Watson’s new contract with Cleveland guards against significant financial penalties that he may face with a possible suspension, as he has a base salary of only $1 million for the 2022 NFL season. He will lose just $55,556 for every potential game missed due to suspension, far less than the $1.94 million he would have missed per game check with the Texans.
