Watson facing sexual misconduct lawsuit, says he'll clear his name
A Houston masseuse filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson accusing him of committing civil assault during a March 2020 appointment, according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop.
The lawsuit alleges that Watson touched the masseuse with his penis and caused the physical contact "intentionally or knowingly."
Upon learning of the complaint, Watson said he rejected a six-figure settlement demand, has always treated women with the utmost respect, and looks forward to clearing his name.
- Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) March 17, 2021
The alleged incident took place at the plaintiff's home, where she regularly provides professional massages, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit states that at one point, the therapist returned to a room to find Watson laying on a massage table with a small towel over his crotch. She "began to feel extremely uncomfortable" and eventually asked the quarterback to leave.
"It became apparent that Watson wanted a massage for only one reason - sex," the lawsuit says.
Watson responded with a remark that she considered to be a threat, the lawsuit states. Watson allegedly later apologized to the masseuse via text message.
"We became aware of a civil lawsuit involving Deshaun Watson through a social media post last night," the Texans said Wednesday in a statement. "This is the first time we heard of the matter, and we hope to learn more soon. We take accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We will await further information before making any additional statements on this incident."
A second lawsuit was filed against Watson on behalf of a masseuse who lives in Georgia and says Watson flew her to Houston, Barshop reported Wednesday.
Watson, 25, reportedly requested a trade from the Texans several weeks ago after growing discontent with the state of affairs inside the organization.
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