Amidst allegations of sexual assault, former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has declared his innocence, as stated in a release by his attorney Rusty Hardin. "Deshaun strongly denies the allegations in the Jane Doe lawsuit filed Monday," the statement, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, articulated.
Watson has been accused by an unnamed Houston woman in an incident allegedly occurring in 2020, a case which his attorney has vowed not to contest through the media but to let the legal process run its course, the staunch denial indicated a commitment to Watson's career and his present goals on the football field, a focus that he reiterated during a news conference in Cleveland, writes the Click2Houston.
Plaintiff attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents the woman, pushed back on Watson's position in a statement posted on Instagram; Buzbee claimed to have reached out to Watson's legal team for ten months aiming at a resolution before filing and noted that this case was the most serious and egregious case brought against Watson to date, Buzbee told his followers about his confidence in the strength of this case and his client's traumatic experience, his words mixed assurance of his approach to the case and a readiness for what would come next, a resolve underscored by his communication with the NFL and his anticipation of a jury trial.
The new complaint surfaced while the NFL's personal-conduct policy investigation into Watson's behavior remains ongoing, and resulted in no immediate changes to Watson's eligibility for play; this was confirmed by league spokesman Brian McCarthy in an email to Click2Houston, explaining, "We are reviewing the complaint, and we will look into the matter under the personal conduct policy," adding the detail that Watson is not being considered for the commissioner's exempt list at this time due to the absence of formal charges and the nascent stage of the review.
Watson, who has encountered both legal challenges and injuries impacting his performance since his trade to the Cleveland Browns, previously received an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine by the NFL, subjecting him to a mandatory behavioral assessment and a treatment regimen, compliance on Watson’s part led to his reinstatement, and while he maintains his innocence, he faces a fresh accusation of sexual assault on a woman after their meeting at a Galleria-area restaurant and subsequent private encounter; Watson has previously faced allegations from multiple massage therapists alleging various degrees of sexual misconduct during his time with the Texans, a series of claims that saw 20 out of the 24 lawsuits settled in June 2022 according to statements by Tony Buzbee.
The woman at the heart of the current lawsuit seeks damages upwards of $1 million and hopes for a jury trial, while Watson, unindicted by two Texas grand juries, overlaps the current narrative with his athletic journey, telling the press, as quoted by Click2Houston, “My whole life I just have to be able to move forward and that’s the plan.”
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