Deshaun Watson Vehemently Denies Sexual Assault Allegation, Will Start vs. Jaguars

“We would ask that people be patient while the legal process runs its course. In the meantime, Deshaun is going to focus his energy and concentration on football.”

Watson was sued on Monday by a woman in Houston. According to the lawsuit, via cleveland.com, Watson went to the woman’s apartment and unexpectedly disrobed. He got on her bed and demanded a massage.

“While Jane Doe stood there in shock, Watson turned his head and aggressively insisted that she massage him, gesturing to his buttocks, per the lawsuit. “Jane Doe asked if Watson meant he wanted her to massage his back, but Watson indicated that it was his buttocks he wanted massaged. Jane Doe was at this point in the encounter terrified.”

Watson became upset with the weak massage, and he sexually assaulted the woman, the filing states.

The accuser’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, said he attempted to reach a settlement for 10 months before suing Watson this week.

“We reached out to attorney Rusty Hardin’s office for ten months in an attempt to resolve this case,” Buzbee said in a statement. “We knew this case was the most serious and egregious case brought against Watson to date and our client, who is rightly traumatized by these events, wanted to attempt a private resolution.”

Watson referred to his lawyer’s statement when speaking with the Cleveland media on Wednesday. He said he was “surprised” by the allegation.

“The statement is exactly how I’m feeling,” Watson said, strongly denying the claim that he sexually assaulted a women in 2020.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 18, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

The NFL doesn’t plan to place Watson on the commissioner’s exempt list in light of the new civil lawsuit, since there have been no criminal charges and the league’s review has just begun, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported.

“We are reviewing the complaint and we will look into the matter under the Personal Conduct Policy,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement.

The league suspended Watson 11 games in 2022 for violating the Personal Conduct Policy. Deshaun Watson settled 23 of 24 lawsuits against him in 2022 after two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment during massage therapy sessions.

When asked why he thinks this keeps happening, the numerous lawsuits filed against him, Watson said he doesn’t know.

“I’m in the same boat as you, boss man,” he said.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Watson will still start Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He deferred to a team statement released Tuesday when asked about the new lawsuit.

“We’ll let the due process play out and follow the NFL’s guidelines,” Stefanski said, who added that he was unaware of the allegations against Watson before the lawsuit was filed.

The Browns lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 33-17, at home on Sunday. The final score wasn’t a true indication of how bad Cleveland played. At one point in the game, 50 percent of the Browns’ plays went for zero or negative yards.

Watson had an abysmal performance, completing 24 of 45 passes (53.3%) for 169 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 51.1. He also was sacked six times. Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons had a sack and a whopping five quarterback hits.

The Browns could potentially get out of Watson’s $230 million guaranteed contract with the latest lawsuit, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Browns could void the remaining guarantees in his contract if Watson didn’t tell the Browns about this allegation. When he signed his deal, Watson had to give the team a list of all his accusations in writing. The Browns can’t punish Watson if he listed the allegation.

The Browns could also void the remaining guarantees in Watson’s contract if the league suspends him for the new accusation.