CLEVELAND – There is more turmoil surrounding Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson after a Texas woman filed a lawsuit Monday accusing Watson of sexually harassing her during an October 2020 date at her apartment.
According to the lawsuit, the woman, identified only as “Jane Doe,” said she met Watson at a bar when he played for the Houston Texans.
She said she and the quarterback had been exchanging text messages for several months.
According to the lawsuit, Watson came to the woman’s apartment for dinner in October 2020.
Then, the woman said, Watson took off his clothes, lay naked on her bed and “aggressively insisted that she massage him.”
According to court records, the woman rubbed his back, but then Watson grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.
Eventually, the lawsuit says, she was able to free herself, ran to her dresser, grabbed a “heavy decorative piece” in self-defense and yelled at Watson to leave her apartment.
The lawsuit states that the woman did not immediately report the incident because Watson is the Texans’ quarterback and a “local celebrity” and she was concerned about how she would be treated.
The woman is represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who also represented 24 other women who sued Watson, accusing him of sexual harassment or assault during massage appointments while he was playing in Houston.
In 2022, after joining the Browns, Watson settled 23 of the lawsuits with other players and was suspended for 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the NFL’s rules of conduct.
Watson maintained his innocence at the time and two different grand juries in Texas declined to indict him.
“I have always maintained my innocence and always said that I never attacked or disrespected anyone,” Watson said in August 2022.
According to the latest lawsuit, the plaintiff suffers from panic attacks, nervous breakdowns, depression and anxiety as a result of the incidents with Watson.
She is demanding at least one million dollars in damages.
In a statement, Buzbee said the lawsuit speaks for itself, but “we intend to pursue this case with the same aggressiveness as the others,” adding that he wants a jury trial in Texas.
We have attempted to reach both Brown and Waston’s attorneys for comment on the recent allegations.
So far no one has responded.
