Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is denying new sexual abuse claims after previously settling 23 sexual misconduct lawsuits stemming from his time with the Houston Texans.
‘Deshaun strongly denies the allegations in the Jane Doe lawsuit filed Monday,’ Watson’s Houston-area attorney, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement provided to DailyMail.com. ‘We have asked him not to comment further while this matter works its way through the courts, but are comfortable he will ultimately be vindicated.
‘We will be ready to defend this case in court at the appropriate time, but don’t intend to conduct our defense in the media. We would ask that people be patient while the legal process runs its course. In the meantime, Deshaun is going to focus his energy and concentration on football.’
As revealed Sunday, Watson is now being sued by a Jane Doe for more than $1million after being accused of sexually assaulting her in Texas four years ago. The Browns quarterback is alleged to have assaulted the woman at her apartment.
Despite the allegation, and Watson’s poor performance in a Week 1 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, he remains the team’s starting quarterback, according to Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Once again, Deshaun Watson is facing a sexual misconduct lawsuit from a Houston woman
Watson attorney Rusty Hardin (pictured) has instructed his client not to speak on the lawsuit
According to TMZ, Doe claims Watson stripped naked and ‘demanded’ the woman ‘massage his butt’ before grabbing her and committing sexually assault.
In 2021, the then-Houston Texans star was hit with 26 sexual-assault lawsuits and has since settled 23 of them, with the other remaining cases expected to go to civil trial.
Although Watson never faced criminal charges, the NFL suspended him for 11 games during the 2022 season while also issuing a $5million fine.
That same year, Watson was traded to the Browns for six draft picks, including three first rounders. And since then, he has signed a five-year, $230 million deal, all of which is guaranteed. The contract was backloaded, which minimized the money he would have lost during his 2022 suspension.
Prior to the latest allegation, Watson was accused of forcing two women to perform oral sex on him, ejaculating on three women, and forcibly kissing another, while 18 women say he touched them with his penis during massages, according to court files reviewed by DailyMail.com.
Watson has denied any wrongdoing and two Texas grand juries declined to proceed with charges against him.
The former Clemson star struggled Sunday after revealing that his father and a former teammate both passed away in the week leading up to the Browns’ opener.
Facing the Cowboys, Watson completed only 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
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