Report: New lawsuit claims Watson trying to settle cases

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Three new lawsuits were filed against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson on Sunday night, reports ESPN's Sarah Barshop.

The lawsuits accuse Watson of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct. One of them claims Watson is erasing Instagram messages and contacting those "who formally provided him massages, in an attempt to settle" the cases against him.

There are now 19 lawsuits filed against Watson.

His attorney, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement that Watson hasn't deleted any messages during the past two weeks.

"Like a lot of people, Deshaun regularly deletes past Instagram messages. That said, he has not deleted any messages since March 15, the day before the first lawsuit was filed," Hardin said Monday. "We categorically deny that he has reached out directly to his accusers in an attempt to settle these cases."

Also on Monday, a Houston massage therapist shared with Sports Illustrated's Jenny Vrentas details of a 2019 interaction with Watson. The woman, who hasn't filed a lawsuit against Watson, said he exposed himself to her and suggested that she touch his penis.

Hardin said last week that his firm has "strong evidence" that one of the lawsuits against Watson is false and "calls into question the legitimacy of the other cases as well."

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