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.
Ashley Solis, the first plaintiff who filed a civil lawsuit against Deshaun Watson, was not one of the 20 plaintiffs who settled their lawsuits against the quarterback Tuesday, attorney Tony Buzbee said in a statement.
Solis filed her lawsuit against Watson in March 2021 and was the first of 25 women who would eventually file suits against the Browns signal-caller. Before Tuesday, there were 24 active lawsuits against Watson, with one plaintiff dropping her suit against him in April 2021 in light of privacy concerns.
“The cases against Deshaun Watson started with one phone call, from one brave and strong woman,” Buzbee said in a statement. “That woman was Ashley Solis. At the time of that call, she was just one of the hundreds of calls seeking legal assistance that our firm gets weekly. Even though she was originally turned away by our screening process, my staff insisted that I personally speak with her. I’m glad she persisted.
“Once we took a second look, and after having contact with Watson’s original lawyer who disrespected Ashley and her profession and who arrogantly minimized the conduct of someone he referred to as an ‘asset,’ I was convinced that our law firm should try to help her.”
Solis’s lawsuit alleges a similar pattern of behavior that more than two dozen massage therapists described in their suits against Watson, with graphic accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault that occurred during therapy sessions. The accounts range from Watson allegedly refusing to cover his genitals to the quarterback “touching [a plaintiff] with his penis and trying to force her to perform oral sex on him.”
Her suit alleges that Watson “specifically kept trying to direct her to his penis” and that “at one point, he purposely exposed the tip of his penis from under the towel.”
The lawsuit says it was “apparent that Watson wanted the massage for only one reason—sex.” Solis identified herself as the first plaintiff and went public with her suit in April 2021.
“As a result of Ashley’s lone but brave voice, soon many women who had allegedly experienced the same conduct were emboldened to step forward. … The truth is, without her courage and willingness to come forward, the NFL wouldn’t currently be contemplating discipline; there would be no examination of how teams might knowingly or unknowingly enable certain behavior; sports teams wouldn’t be reviewing their personnel screening processes; and this important story wouldn’t have dominated the sports headlines for more than a year,” Buzbee said Tuesday.
The NFL launched its investigation into Watson in March 2021 after three suits were filed against him. Commissioner Roger Goodell said last month that the league is “nearing the end of the investigation,” though no timeline was provided on when the disciplinary officer would issue a ruling. The MMQB’s Albert Breer reported he expects a decision from the league before training camp, which is slated to begin in mid to late July.
The league will argue that Watson should receive a “significant” suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. On Watson’s behalf, the NFL Players Association is reportedly planning on mobilizing “with an aggressive defense” that will include comparisons to the league’s handling of cases involving three prominent team owners.
Solis appeared on HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel in May, giving her first national TV interview along with another plaintiff. Leah Graham, one of Watson’s attorneys, also appeared on the show and said that the quarterback engaged in “consensual sexual activity” in three instances after the massage therapy sessions had ended. Solis responded to the attorney’s claims in the episode.
“I’m not a sex worker,” Solis said. “I am a massage therapist. For them to say that anything was consensual, either they don’t realize or they don’t care about the danger that puts me in. Because that gives the message to people that massage therapists do those kind of things.”
According to USA Today, Watson said in a pretrial deposition in May that one massage therapist cried after their session, though he said he didn’t know why. The deposition was reportedly on behalf of Solis’s case.
After Watson left their session, he sent Solis an apology text after the session which said, “Sorry about you feeling uncomfortable. Never were the intentions. Lmk if you want to work in the future. My apologies.”
Buzbee asked Watson in the deposition, per a partial transcript obtained by USA Today, “But you know why you sent that text apology afterwards?”
The quarterback responded, “Yes, because she was teary-eyed. And I was trying to figure out what was going on. So, I assumed that she was uncomfortable in whatever reason. And we talked about working in the future. And so, I said, ‘We can work in the future. Just let me know.’ And then I sent my apologies as whatever reason she was teary-eyed for.”
Solis did not reply to the text, per her lawsuit.
Two new suits were filed against Watson after her appearance on HBO’s segment. A 23rd lawsuit emerged a week after the episode, with the plaintiff noting in the suit that the segment changed her mind about filing as well as Watson’s comment about having “no regrets.” The 24th lawsuit was filed six days later.
“As stated, Ashley Solis is one of the heroes of this story. Her case has not settled and thus her story and that of the other three brave women will continue,” Buzbee said Tuesday. “I look forward to trying these cases in due course, consistent with other docket obligations and the court’s schedule.”
Watson and his legal team have maintained the quarterback’s innocence throughout the proceedings. During Watson’s introductory press conference with Cleveland in March, he denied assaulting, harassing or disrespecting any woman.
Here's a full time line of what has happened with the quarterback on and off the field since his last game with the Texans in 2021.
