It was earlier this week that a 24th woman came forward and filed a civil complaint against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson claiming sexual misconduct and/or assault.
Filed in the Harris County District court in Houston, said civil suit alleges some major improprieties on the part of the recently-acquired Browns signal caller. They are ugly in nature.
“As Plaintiff attempted to focus on getting the massage completed, at some point, Watson got an erection, causing his towel to fall off. By this point, Watson, was now completely naked and exposed. Watson then started to masturbate.
Plaintiff immediately stopped the massage. Apparently responding to look of shock on Plaintiff’s face, Watson said to Plaintiff, ‘Relax. It is okay to touch it.'”
Most-recent civil complaint against Deshaun Watson
The complaint then goes on to state that Watson “continued masturbating more aggressively” before he “quickly ejaculated, some of the ejactulate got on Plantiff’s chest and face.”
While still allegations, this latest information adds to the laundry list of specifics that accusers have laid out over the past couple weeks.
For his part, Watson had previously stated he sent an apology text to one of the accusers after an incident left the woman in tears.
“Yes, because she was teary-eyed. And I was trying to figure out what was going on. So, I assumed that she was uncomfortable in whatever reason. And we talked about working in the future. And so, I said, `We can work in the future. Just let me know.’ And then I sent my apologies as whatever reason she was teary-eyed for.”
Deshaun Watson in a deposition from back in May
In-depth piece brings to light more serious allegations against Deshaun Watson
Jenny Vrentas of The NY Times just released an in-depth piece on Watson, bringing up more questions about the massages he received and alleged wrongdoing on the part of the quarterback.
“Yet a New York Times examination of records, including depositions and evidence for the civil lawsuits as well as interviews of some of the women, showed that Watson engaged in more questionable behavior than previously known.”
NY Times report on Deshaun Watson
The detailed report goes on to add even more information to allegations against Watson, whether the Houston Texans played a role in helping him book massages and an increased number of troubling allegations.
- The report states that Watson’s former Texans team provided him with the venue for some of the appointments.
- A team representative “furnished” the Pro Bowl signal caller with a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) after one fo the woman threatened to expose him online. She’s among the 24 who have filed a civil complaint against Watson.
- In one alleged communication with a masseuse, Watson claimed to be a “professional” while indicating that he now had an NDA for her to sign — likely the same NDA a Texans official had provided him. In a separate text exchange, he boasted about wanting to “suppot black businesses” in attempting to book an appointment.
- A total of 66 women have now claimed to have given massages to Watson. Some of them don’t claim inappropriate behavior on the part of the NFLer.
- One woman who did not file a complaint against Deshaun Watson also alleged that he initiated sexual contact during three different appointments.
“This woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect her privacy, said in an interview she began by working on Watson’s back. But when he flipped over, she said his demeanor and voice changed, and he began aggressively dictating where he wanted her to touch him.
In their first session, she said he got into the happy baby yoga pose — on his back with his feet in his hands — and asked her to massage between his testicles and anus. She laughed off the request but said he grabbed her wrist and put her hand there.”
NY times report on Deshaun Watson
New lawsuit against Deshaun Watson came as a surprise to the NFL, Browns
Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday, NFL insider Albert Breer noted that this most-recent lawsuit came as a bit of a surprise to the league and the Browns. Breer went on to say that it’s uncertain how up front Watson was with the team ahead of Cleveland pulling off a blockbuster trade for him this past spring.
Cleveland ultimately sent three first-round picks as the centerpiece to the Houston Texans for Watson. The team then signed him to a fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million. There are certainly outs on the contract under the guise of the NFL personal conduct policy.
If Watson was not up front with the team about more potential allegations, this could potentially come into play.
The NFL refused to comment further on the latest allegation against Watson, simply stating that it is still in the process of investigating all 24 of the allegations against the quarterback. A decision on any punishment is expected to be handed down this summer with a year-long ban potentially being in the cards.
As for the legalities, two separate Texas-based grand juries opted against recommending criminal charges against Deshaun Watson this past spring. In no way does this mean he’s in the clear.
As these allegations continue to pile up and with ugly details becoming prevalent on a near-weekly basis, the NFL and the Browns themselves will be forced to address it.