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.
Attorney Tony Buzbee announced Friday that all of the women who made or planned to make claims against the Texans organization over its role in the sexual misconduct allegations against former quarterback Deshaun Watson have resolved their claims.
This comes after one of the women filed a lawsuit against the Texans on June 27, claiming that the organization helped Watson arrange rooms at a Houston hotel under an alias. Additionally, the lawsuit claims the team knew about the sexual misconduct.
Buzbee did not release any information about the settlement or the amount paid to each plaintiff. He also did not release information about the six additional women involved in the Texans settlement, from the 24 who filed lawsuits against Watson.
“I will have no further comment on the allegations or the Texans’ role, other than to say that there is a marked contrast in the way in which the Texans addressed these allegations, and the way in which Watson’s team has done so,” Buzbee said in a statement, per Click2Houston. “As previously reported, only one of the 30 women who made allegations against the Texans filed a formal lawsuit. That particular lawsuit will be dismissed with prejudice as soon as the appropriate settlement paperwork is complete.”
Texans co-owners Janice, Hannah and Cal McNair released a statement after the news on Friday, declining to admit any wrongdoing on behalf of the franchise.
“We were shocked and deeply saddened when we first learned of the allegations against our then franchise quarterback in March 2021,” the statement read. “Although our organization did not have knowledge of Deshaun Watson’s alleged misconduct, we have intentionally chosen to resolve this matter amicably. This is not an admission of any wrongdoing, but instead a clear stand against any form of sexual assault and misconduct. We hope today’s resolution will provide some form of closure to the parties involved, our fans and the Houston community at large. As an organization, we will now turn our focus to the future and doing what we can to ensure respect for all.”
Watson currently faces four active civil lawsuits, after 20 were settled in June, filed by massage therapists, each detailing graphic accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault that occurred during massage 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.”
In June, The New York Times’ Jenny Vrentas reported that Watson booked at least 66 women over the span of 17 months for massage therapy sessions. The report also found that a Houston-based spa and the Texans “enabled” his massage habit, with the franchise providing facilities and nondisclosure agreements. It also found that the quarterback’s lawyer and the prosecutors at the district attorney’s office on the criminal cases had been in extensive contact leading up to the two grand juries. According to Vrentas, Rusty Hardin, Watson’s lawyer, “began a regular dialogue” with the Harris County sex crimes prosecutor in early 2022.
The first suit against Watson was filed in March 2021 by Ashley Solis. She remains one of the four women whose cases have yet to settle. In his statement on Friday, Buzbee discussed Solis’s bravery in the situation.
“It takes an incredible amount of fortitude for a victim of sexual misconduct to come forward,” Buzbee said. “It is even more difficult when the alleged wrongdoer is famous, rich, and powerful. As I’ve said before, these cases started with one phone call, from one brave and strong woman: Ashley Solis. Because of her willingness to speak out, soon others followed. I admire Ashley Solis and the other woman who were courageous enough to make their voices heard. I hope their bravery serves as an example to others who have been subjected to similar conduct. Every story has a hero—in this story, that hero is Ashley Solis and the other woman who, despite the ridicule, criticism, and vitriol directed at them, endured.”
Buzbee also provided an update about the four cases still going on. Because the court agreed not to try Watson during football season, which begins in August, it appears that the cases won’t be tried until after the 2022 season.
“The four filed cases against Deshaun Watson will continue,” Buzbee said. “We hope to try them all in the spring of next year. In the meantime, we will continue to do the important work to prepare for such.”
Although the civil suits are still ongoing, Cleveland traded for Watson in March and signed him to a five-year contract worth a guaranteed $230 million. During his introductory press conference with the Browns, Watson denied assaulting, harassing or disrespecting any woman.
Watson still waits to hear his fate for the 2022 season. U.S. District Court Judge Sue. L. Robinson, the league and NFLPA’s appointed independent arbitrator, overheard the league’s hearing on Watson in late June, and will recommend discipline for the quarterback, though a firm timeline for that decision has not been announced. Watson and the NFL will have the ability to appeal the ruling, and commissioner Roger Goodell will have the ability to make a final decision in that scenario.
