Content warning: This article contains depictions of alleged sexual assault.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is reportedly facing a new sexual assault lawsuit.
Watson was accused of sexual assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a new civil lawsuit that was filed in Houston on Monday, according to NBC Sports’ Mike Florio. The lawsuit is similar to the nearly two dozen that were filed against him when he played for the Houston Texans, however the new incident is separate and unrelated to the initial claims.
NFL launches review of allegation
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued a statement addressing the lawsuit on Tuesday.
“We are reviewing the complaint and we will look into the matter under the personal conduct policy,” McCarthy said. “Not looking at commissioner’s exempt list as there’s been no formal charges and the league’s review has just begun.”
The New York Times reports that NFL special counsel Lisa Friel will oversee the investigation and is tasked with determining if Watson committed a violation of the personal conduct policy and if a violation warrants additional discipline from what the league has issued Watson for previous violations.
The Browns also issued a statement on Tuesday addressing the matter.
“We will respect the due process our legal system affords regarding the recently filed civil suit and follow the NFL’s guidelines on this matter,” the statement reads.
Watson has yet to address the new lawsuit in public.
What Watson is accused of
Watson’s accuser, according to the report, filed her lawsuit anonymously on Monday and said the incident took place when the two were supposed to go on a date in October 2020. According to the lawsuit, Watson struggled to find the woman’s apartment ahead of their date, called her and started “aggressively yelling and screaming and stating that he could not find her apartment and that he ‘doesn’t have time for this.’”
After the two connected and Watson entered her apartment, the woman “invited Watson in to have a seat in her living room while she finished getting ready.” She said she kept speaking with Watson from the bathroom as she was putting on makeup, but he stopped responding.
The woman then said she came out of the bathroom and found Watson “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,” the lawsuit says. “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.”
The woman said that Watson then suddenly grabbed her leg, partially disrobed her and penetrated her vagina without any consent. Watson allegedly sexually assaulted the woman for several minutes before she eventually escaped from underneath him and yelled at him to get out of her apartment, which Watson then did.
Watson was suspended for 11 games in 2022 after he faced more than 20 accusations of sexual misconduct largely involving massage therapists during his time with the Texans. Watson did not face criminal charges in any of the instances and has long denied any wrongdoing. He has settled the majority of the lawsuits that were filed against him. The NFL has since expanded its sexual assault policy and penalties after Watson’s suspension, too.
Watson got his start in the league with the Texans, though he landed with the Browns and signed a record-setting, fully guaranteed $230 million contract — which came amid his previous sexual assault and misconduct accusations. The team has since restructured that contract twice, and Watson’s play has far from backed up his unprecedented deal. He’s appeared in just six games in each of the past two seasons, first due to his suspension then due to numerous injuries last season. Watson went 24-of-45 for 169 yards and threw a touchdown and two interceptions in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Browns are pretty much stuck with Watson for the next several years, too. They would face $172 million in dead cap hits if they cut him in 2025, and $99 million if they do so in 2026. Both would set a new record for the most dead money incurred in NFL history.
