A woman in Texas filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexually assaulting her during an October 2020 date at her apartment.
The woman is represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who previously represented 24 other women who sued Watson for claims of sexual harassment or assault during massage appointments while he played in Houston. Watson denied the previous allegations.
In 2022, after his trade to the Browns, Watson settled 23 of the lawsuits and was suspended for 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
According to the latest civil lawsuit, the woman, identified as "Jane Doe," said she met Watson in a bar while he played for the Houston Texans. She said she and the quarterback exchanged text messages for several months.
She claimed in October 2020, Watson came to the woman's apartment for dinner. That's when the woman said Watson took off his clothes, laid naked on her bed and "aggressively insisted that she massage him," the lawsuit stated.
According to the court filing, the woman rubbed his back, but then Watson allegedly grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.
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Eventually, the lawsuit stated, she was able to get free, ran to her dresser, and grabbed a "heavy piece of decor for self-defense," while yelling at Watson to get out of her apartment.
The lawsuit said the woman did not report the incident right away because Watson was the Texans quarterback at the time and was a "local celebrity," and she worried how she would be treated.
At the time, Watson maintained his innocence, and two separate Texas grand juries declined criminal charges against him.
"I've always stood on my innocence and always said I've never assaulted anyone or disrespected anyone," Watson said in August 2022.
According to the latest lawsuit, the accuser suffers from panic attacks, nervous breakdowns, depression and anxiety as a result of what happened with Watson.
She's seeking at least $1 million in damages.
In a statement, Buzbee said the lawsuit speaks for itself but that "we intend to pursue this case with the same aggressiveness as we pursued the others," adding that he wants a jury trial in Texas.
Scripps News Cleveland attempted to reach both the Cleveland Browns and Watson's attorneys for comment on the latest allegations. So far, neither has responded.
As of 2024, Watson is the second highest-paid player in the league with an ongoing $230 million deal.
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This story was originally published by Scott Noll at Scripps News Cleveland.
