Texas woman accuses Cleveland, Ohio quarterback Deshawn Watson of sexual assault and battery.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson's third season with the Cleveland Browns is off to a tumultuous start. His recent press conferences have been packed with questions regarding his poor performance in the season opener game, but are now dominated by inquiries into actions far more sinister.
A woman in Texas recently accused Watson of sexual assault and battery in October 2020. At the time, the athlete played for the Houston Texans.
Deshaun Watson claims that he was unaware of the allegations until they recently appeared in the public eye. “I found out exactly whenever everyone else found out,” he said.
The unidentified woman, known only as Jane Doe, states that Watson “roughly sexually assaulted her for several minutes during a dinner date in her apartment.”
In a recent press conference before team practice, Watson expressed his confusion and surprise. “I haven’t heard anything," he said. "I haven’t spoke with anybody so I’m not sure. I’m not aware of that.”
Rusty Hardin represents Deshaun Watson, and says the quarterback “strongly denies the claims in the lawsuit.” The NFL promises to examine the evidence to determine whether Watson violated the league's personal conduct policy.
Watson has a history of alleged misconduct – in 2022, he was suspended from 11 games with the Browns. This decision came just months after the team signed him to a “fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.” Watson was fined $5 million after an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct. More than two dozen women stated that the athlete assaulted them during massage therapy sessions.
Jane Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, responded to Watson’s recent comments. “We knew this case was the most serious and egregious case brought against Watson to date and our client, who is rightly traumatized by these events, wanted to attempt a private resolution,” he said. "Unfortunately, Watson’s team or maybe his lawyers couldn’t or wouldn’t give this case the attention it was due."
Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski did not consider benching the quarterback this week in light of the new allegations.’
"We’ll let due process play out and follow the NFL’s guidelines,” Stefanski said.
Authors: Andy Goldwasser and Alexis Kabat
