Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson reportedly has been sued in Houston for sexual assault and battery as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress.
This isn’t the first time that Watson has been accused of sexual assault. The former first-round pick did not play in the 2021 NFL season after 26 women filed civil lawsuits against him.
Watson was not indicted criminally by a grand jury, but he settled 23 of the cases in 2022. One of the lawsuits was dropped against Watson.
Now, it appears there is a new incident, this one with a woman who says that she went on a date with the quarterback.
“The lawsuit explains that the date was set for October 10, 2020. Watson, per the lawsuit, was initially unable to find her apartment,” ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio wrote. “He called her and allegedly began ‘aggressively yelling and screaming and stating that he could not find her apartment and that he ‘doesn’t have time for this.’”
The lawsuit then goes into the events that followed once Watson arrived at the plaintiff’s apartment.
“When Watson finally arrived at Doe’s apartment, Doe had not finished putting on makeup, so she invited Watson in to have a seat in her living room while she finished getting ready,” the lawsuit read. “As she was putting on makeup in her bathroom, Doe left the bathroom door open and attempted a conversation with Watson, trying to ease the tension from his angry outburst. Jane Doe quickly began to believe she was talking to herself because Watson wasn’t responding.
“Jane Doe came out of her bathroom to investigate Watson’s silence and shockingly found him completely naked on her bed, lying face-down on his stomach. While Jane Doe stood there in shock, Watson turned his head and aggressively insisted that she massage him, gesturing to his buttocks. Jane Doe asked if Watson meant he wanted her to massage his back, but Watson indicated that it was his buttocks he wanted massaged.
“Jane Doe was at this point in the encounter terrified. She was in her small apartment with a much larger man, and she was still reeling from Watson’s outburst and aggression on the phone. Doe thus tried to appease Watson by rubbing his back, rather than his buttocks. Watson began insisting, again, that she focus on his glutes. Seemingly frustrated that Doe would only rub his back, Watson then turned over, revealing an erection. Watson continued to demand that Jane Doe massage him, gesturing from his knees to his groin. Jane Doe froze in fear, unsure of how to refuse Watson’s advances without jeopardizing her safety. Confused and scared, she reiterated to Watson that she wasn’t a masseuse. Watson asked her what she wanted to do instead.
“Before Jane Doe could answer, Watson grabbed Jane Doe’s leg and positioned her so that she was lying down. Watson then partially disrobed Jane Doe and penetrated her vagina without consent, implicit or explicit. Jane Doe felt paralyzed, unsure if she should risk her safety by trying to stop Watson or endure his assault. Watson roughly sexually assaulted Jane Doe for several minutes in a ‘missionary position’ before grabbing her and flipping her over. Watson continued to assault Doe aggressively from behind. Jane Doe finally gathered the courage and strength to escape Watson. Jane Doe quickly ran to her dresser to grab a heavy piece of décor for self-defense, and yelled at Watson [to] get out of her apartment. Enraged, Watson stormed out of Jane Doe’s apartment.”
The plaintiff in the case is represented by Tony Buzbee, who also represented many of the women who sued Watson back in 2021.
These are extremely troubling allegations against the Cleveland quarterback, and it’s possible that he could face some discipline under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
According to Florio, the biggest difference in this case compared to previous ones brought against Watson is that he “specifically is accused of sexual assault.”
The Browns acquired Watson in a trade with Houston prior to the 2022 season. They gave up a ton of assets to get him, trading six draft picks (three of which were first-round picks). Cleveland also gave Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. At the time, Watson’s contract set an NFL record.
He was suspended for 11 games in 2022 in connection with the other cases brought against him. He returned that season to play in six games for the Browns, leading them to a 3-3 record.
Last season, injuries limited Watson to just six games, but Cleveland went 5-1 in the games that he started. The Browns ended up making the playoffs with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco leading the way.
On Sunday in his 2024 debut, Watson struggled against the Dallas Cowboys, taking six sacks and throwing two interceptions in a 33-17 loss. The veteran quarterback is still under contract with the Browns through the 2026 season.
