As the NFL’s 15-month investigation into sexual misconduct claims against Deshaun Watson approaches a solution, one of its accusers on Monday filed a lawsuit against Watson’s former team, the Houston Texans, claiming that the organization’s a blind eye turned ‘for Watson’s behavior towards female massage. therapists.
Watson, a full-back who was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March, reached settlements last week with 20 of the 24 women who accused him of assaulting or harassing them during massage appointments that took place between 2020 and 2021, when he was on the Texans’ service. grill. The civil lawsuit against the Texans was filed by one of the four women who did not settle with Watson. She said the team made his behavior possible by providing Watson with a confidentiality agreement to give to therapists and by providing the venue he used for some of his appointments, as The New York Times reported earlier this month.
“We are aware of the lawsuit filed against us today,” the Texans said in a written statement Monday. “Since March 2021, we have fully supported and complied with law enforcement and the various investigations. We will continue to take the necessary steps to address the allegations against our organization. ”
Watson has repeatedly denied all the allegations and admitted through his attorneys that he had consensual sexual contact with three of the women who sued him. In March, two major juries in Texas refused to charge Watson with criminal charges. In between the layoffs, the Browns traded Watson and signed him to an unprecedented, fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $ 230 million.
The lawsuit against the Texans was filed the day before Watson was expected to appear at an NFL disciplinary hearing with former federal judge Sue L. Robinson, an arbitrator appointed jointly by the league and the players’ union. This is the league’s first personal conduct case to be heard by a disciplinary official in place of Commissioner Roger Goodell, a protocol set out in the 2020 collective bargaining agreement.
In informational material provided to Robinson and the union before the trial, the NFL recommended that Watson be suspended indefinitely and wait at least a full season to apply for reinstatement, according to two people representing the league’s material checked. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL did not publicly comment on the findings of its investigation.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the NFL’s recommendation.
The trial was scheduled because the league and Watson’s representatives were unable to negotiate a mutually agreed upon fine, indicating that there was a large gap between what each side would accept. An indefinite suspension will give the league the flexibility to adjust its discipline if any new allegations are made against Watson or if new information relevant to the investigation comes to light through means such as the ongoing civil cases or the new legal action filed against the Texans.
The union is expected to argue against significant punishment in what will be the first test for the new disciplinary process. The NFL Players’ Association may appeal against Robinson’s decision, and that appeal will be heard by Goodell or a person of his choice.
During their investigation, NFL investigators interviewed 10 of the women who filed lawsuits against Watson, as well as other witnesses, including women who worked for the massage therapy group contracted with the Texans. The league met with Watson for the first time last month for several days of interviews.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the NFL based its case for a lengthy suspension of Watson on five women’s accounts that the league believed had the strongest evidence, including contemporary corroboration. A detective who led the Houston police investigation into Watson said in a statement to the civil lawsuits that out of the 10 criminal charges filed against Watson, the strongest evidence came from the cases of Ashley Solis – Watson ‘s first accuser – and a woman not publicly identified, who said Watson ejaculated on her in their second massage appointment.
Both women met with NFL investigators and are one of four civil plaintiffs who did not reconcile with Watson.
Solis’ lawsuit alleges that Watson intentionally touched her hand with his erect and exposed penis during a March 2020 massage. Watson said in a statement in the case that he apologized to Solis via text message after their appointment because she felt uncomfortable, and described her at the end of the massage as “tearful”, although he said he did not know. why?
A woman with whom Solis worked also reached out to a veteran massage therapist on Facebook the day after Solis’ session with Watson and wrote that her colleague had been “sought” by a professional athlete and did not know what to do.
The second plaintiff, the woman who also filed a lawsuit against the Texans, massaged Watson twice in separate appointments at her mother’s home in Manvel, Texas, a suburb of Houston, in November 2020. She alleged that Watson ejaculated on her during the second massage and asked to schedule another appointment with her for later that day. She agreed, but then canceled shortly afterwards, according to SMS records. The woman ignored further attempts by Watson to contact her and eventually blocked him.
The woman told a friend who played in the NFL about her experience with Watson. She sought advice as she had just started as a massage therapist and had his mutual friends with Watson. The player spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his privacy, confirming that she reached out after the massage and said she felt uncomfortable during the session. He said he told her if she did not feel comfortable, she would not have to work with Watson again.
He said he spoke to NFL investigators as a contemporary witness.
According to a person who checked the NFL’s information material, one of the five accounts the league asked the disciplinary officer to consider was from a woman who told Sports Illustrated about her experience with Watson. In their massage appointment in November 2019, the woman said Watson deliberately exposed himself, told her she could move his uncovered penis, and started pushing his pelvis into the air after developing an erection.
She told the therapist who made the appointment, and later, when Watson tried to book with her again, she told him in a message that he had made her uncomfortable.
The woman did not file a lawsuit or a police report, and according to her attorney did not participate in the NFL investigation. League investigators do not have the power to sue, so their investigation relies on witnesses participating voluntarily and on obtaining evidence gathered in the criminal or civil proceedings.