Deshaun Watson Faces 16 Lawsuits, Lawyer Says QB Was Blackmailed

The Texans quarterback now faces 16 civil lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and misconduct.

Deshaun Watson's lawyer Rusty Hardin said in a statement Tuesday that his law firm has "strong evidence" showing that at least one of the accusers attempted to blackmail Watson. That now "calls into question the legitimacy of the other cases as well."

Hardin added that he believes "any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false."

The blackmail allegedly occurred in January 2021 when an accuser requested $30,000 in exchange for her "indefinite silence about what she stated was a consensual encounter."

From Rusty Hardin: pic.twitter.com/cCWgCIrfp3

— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) March 23, 2021

Hardin also said Houston attorney Tony Buzbee has refused his requests "to confidentially provide the names of the plaintiffs so we can fully investigate their claims makes uncovering the truth extremely difficult."

Buzbee responded to the accusations on Tuesday, telling ESPN that Watson and the quarterback's marketing manager, Bryan Burney, "repeatedly insisted that Jane Doe sign" a non-disclosure agreement. She refused. 

"There are many facts here, that we will put in public filings, that Mr. Hardin might not be aware of," Buzbee said. 

Regarding the case where an accuser attempted to blackmail Watson, Hardin released a signed affidavit from Burney. In that document, Burney states that he spoke with an individual he believes is the plaintiff in the third case filed by Buzbee.

Watson now faces 16 civil lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and assault after two more were filed against him on Tuesday. 

The 14th lawsuit was filed Monday night and appeared on the Harris County District Clerk's website on Tuesday morning. This comes after six other lawsuits were filed Monday, including one alleging the Texans quarterback sexually assaulted a woman earlier this month.

The new lawsuits filed later on Tuesday state that the incidents occurred in May 2020 and October 2020. 

The filing for the spring allegations states that, "Watson assaulted and harassed Plaintiff by exposing himself to her, touching her with his penis and ejaculating onto her." 

The plaintiff in this case is a certified personal trainer, and said to Watson that "massages were not her speciality." However, according to the suit the quarterback "insisted," and requested that she focus on "his 'glutes' and his 'lower abdominals.'" 

When Watson flipped over during the massage, his towel fell off his body, and he allegedly "moved his penis onto the Plaintiff's hand. Watson had pre-ejaculation leaking out of his penis, which got onto the Plaintiff's hand." 

Watson allegedly said, "I hope you do not mind if we continue the massage like this." Jane Doe responded with, "I do not know. I do not know." 

When she tried to end the session, Watson allegedly asked for a hug, which she refused. 

The lawsuit concerning the October incident with a different individual states that "Watson harassed and assaulted the Plaintiff by exposing himself and trying to force her to touch his anus and penis." 

This individual is licensed in body contouring and skin tightening, and works for a spa in Houston. Her boss did not tell her who the client was but warned that she may have to sign a NDA, which she did not end up doing. 

The plaintiff was told by her boss that Watson only liked his lower legs massaged, but when the session began, the quarterback allegedly "told her that he wanted her to 'come up' and massage his inner thighs, lower back area and around his buttocks," according to the lawsuit. 

He then allegedly asked her to "go deeper," which "meant touching his anus and testicles." She refused. 

Watson then flipped over and allegedly asked her to massage his inner thigh, lower stomach and sides, which she said she did. 

"Because Watson was completely exposed, Plaintiff had to brush against his penis in order to massage the areas that he requested," the lawsuit states. "Plaintiff was terrified, but Watson told her not to be scared to 'touch him.'" 

The filing says that when she realized the type of massage Watson wanted, she declined and finished the massage. He allegedly only paid a third of what she's owed. 

All 16 of the lawsuits have been filed by Buzbee, who told Houston's Fox26 on Monday that 24 women have come forward with allegations about Watson.