Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was sued Monday by a woman in Harris County, Texas, who is accusing Watson of sexual assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The incident allegedly occurred on a date at the woman’s apartment in October 2020.
The lawsuit comes more than two years after Watson reached settlements with over two dozen women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Twenty-four women filed lawsuits alleging assault or harassment between 2020 and 2021.
On Tuesday, the NFL said Watson has not been placed on the commissioner’s exempt list in light of the new lawsuit.
“We are reviewing the complaint and we will look into the matter under the Personal Conduct Policy,” a league spokesperson said. “Not looking at Commissioner’s Exempt list as there’s been no formal charges and the league’s review has just begun.”
The Browns said Tuesday the organization will follow the NFL’s guidelines on the matter.
According to Monday’s lawsuit, Watson first met the woman at a Houston restaurant in July 2020. After a period of exchanging texts, he asked to meet that October, and the woman invited Watson to her apartment for dinner. The lawsuit alleges that after calling the woman’s cellphone and “aggressively yelling and screaming and stating that he could not find her apartment,” Watson arrived and, while waiting for the woman to finish getting ready in her bathroom, undressed himself.
Upon coming out of her bathroom, the woman found Watson “completely naked on her bed,” according to the lawsuit. Watson then insisted she massage his buttocks, despite the woman repeating that she wasn’t a masseuse, per the lawsuit. She says she was afraid and attempted to massage his back instead. Watson turned over, the lawsuit alleges, then grabbed her and sexually assaulted her for several minutes. She eventually escaped and grabbed a piece of furniture for self-defense, the lawsuit alleges, and Watson left.
The Browns and the NFL declined to comment. Rusty Hardin & Associates, who represented Watson in previous lawsuits, did not respond to a request for comment about the latest allegation.
“This is an extremely serious matter,” Tony Buzbee, the woman’s lawyer, told The Athletic in an email. “We intend to pursue this case with the same aggressiveness with which we pursued the others. We want a jury trial.”
According to the lawsuit, the woman was discouraged from coming forward with her story after seeing how previous women who made allegations were treated by Watson’s defense team and the public. The filing states that she first attempted to resolve issues with Watson without filing a public lawsuit, but those efforts failed.
As a result of the alleged incident, the lawsuit says, the woman suffers from severe mental anguish, panic attacks, depression and anxiety. She is seeking damages of over $1 million.
(Photo: Lauren Leigh Bacho / Getty Images)
