Yahoo Finance After 22nd sexual misconduct lawsuit against Deshaun Watson, Texans issue statement
Warning, this story contains a graphic account of alleged sexual misconduct.
The number of civil lawsuits from massage therapists against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has reached 22, with one more filed Friday night and made publicly available Monday, according to ESPN.
The lawsuit, filed by Houston-area lawyer Tony Buzbee, reportedly claims Watson assaulted a licensed aesthetician "by touching her with his penis and exposing himself."
From ESPN:
The plaintiff alleges Watson "grabbed" her buttocks during the massage while his "penis was erect ... and completely exposed." The lawsuit alleges Watson told the massage therapist she had to sign a non-disclosure agreement before he would pay her for the massage.
The lawsuit says, "based on publicly available information, in a short time frame ... Watson used more than fifty different women for massages" and alleges that "Watson selected all of these women via social media, mostly through Instagram and through SnapChat." However, some of the lawsuits filed by Buzzbee reference Watson booking a massage through a spa or through another referral.
Buzbee has also announced a news conference in downtown Houston scheduled for Tuesday in which he will "address important and significant developments in the Deshaun Watson case."
Texans: 'We take these allegations very seriously'
The same day the 22nd lawsuit was reported, the McNair family, which owns the Texans, addressed the situation in a letter to season ticket holders. The McNairs said they will cooperate with all investigations.
In a regular letter to Texans season ticket holders, the McNair family addressed the allegations against Deshaun Watson.
"While we await the conclusion of these investigations, we express our strong stance against any form of sexual assault." pic.twitter.com/AqWIPmsv4F— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) April 5, 2021
Where the Deshaun Watson allegations stand
The lawsuit is the latest in a tidal wave of sexual misconduct allegations to hit Watson since mid-March, with allegations ranging from inappropriate sexual behavior to sexual assault. In addition to the 22 lawsuits filed by Buzbee, another woman who is not suing Watson gave an account of inappropriate behavior to Sports Illustrated's Jenny Vrentas.
Watson's attorney Rusty Hardin has pushed back on the claims, with his biggest move being the release of on-the-record statements from 18 massage therapists who claim to have worked on the quarterback with no issue.
While the matter had been limited to civil court for multiple weeks, the Houston Police Department announced last Friday that it had received a complaint concerning Watson and will conduct an investigation. Hardin said he welcomed the development and Watson will cooperate with the authorities.
Buzbee had previously said he would turn over information to the police, but later backtracked claiming he believed the department could not be impartial due to his own past statements against its outgoing police chief and Hardin's son being a commander on the force. He released a statement saying he was not involved with the complaint filed with the police last week.
Discipline from the NFL is also pending, but when that arrives depends on a number of variables.
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