One of the women accusing Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns quarterback of sexual assault, says in a lawsuit that the The Houston Texans, who Watson play for during the first four years of his career, enabled Watson’s alleged actions.
In a statement released Monday, Tony Buzbee, the attorney who has represented the 24 women in their civil lawsuits against Watson, said “Today we filed the first case of what will likely be many against the Houston Texans related to Deshaun Watson’s behavior.”
It continued, “Suffice it to say, the overwhelming evidence collected indicating that the Houston Texans enabled Watson’s behavior is incredibly damning. We believe the Texans knew or most certainly should have known of Watson’s conduct. Beyond that, we believe the filing speaks for itself.”
From The Athletic:
The suit contains claims, which were first made public in an article from the the New York Times, that Watson asked several of the therapists to sign an N.D.A. he received from a Houston Texans staff member and that the team indirectly arranged for some of the massages to happen at The Houstonian Hotel by securing a membership for the quarterback.
The suit also claims that the owner of the company contracted to provide massage therapy for the Texans, Genuine Touch, stated concern to the team about Watson seeking massages via Instagram.
The lawsuit also claims that massage therapists at Genuine Touch were aware of Watson’s “sketchiness,” according to The Athletic.
The Texans responded to the filing in a statement that read, “We are aware of the lawsuit filed against us today. Since March 2021, we have fully supported and complied with law enforcement and the various investigations. We will continue to take the necessary steps to address the allegations against our organization.”
The Browns quarterback has settled 20 out of the 24 civil lawsuits against him.
This is all unfolding as Watson faces a possible indefinite suspension from the NFL. His disciplinary hearing with the league is on Tuesday, which will determine what the quarterback’s fate in the league will be for the next few seasons.