NFL Releases Statement Addressing Latest Deshaun Watson Lawsuit

A 26th lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct was filed against the Browns quarterback Thursday.

Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.

The NFL released a statement Friday, saying that it was aware of a new lawsuit filed against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in Texas on Thursday, but that Watson’s status with the league remains unaffected at this time.

“Watson’s status remains unchanged,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement. “We will monitor developments in the newly filed litigation; and any conduct that warrants further investigation or possible additional sanctions would be addressed within the Personal Conduct Policy.”

The lawsuit, filed by plaintiff Jane Doe in Harris County, comes less than two months after the NFL and NFLPA agreed to suspend Watson for 11 games and fine him $5 million for reported sexual misconduct.

The latest filing details an encounter from December 2020 between Watson and Jane Doe after the quarterback contacted the woman for a message via direct message on Instagram. During the massage, the filing reads that “Watson removed his towel and offered to let her ‘get on top.’ Plaintiff refused to have sex with Watson, however, he was able to pressure her into oral sex with the Defendant.” He then allegedly paid her $300 when her hourly massage rate was normally $115. 

This is the first lawsuit to be filed against the quarterback from a different law firm than the other two dozen cases attorney Tony Buzbee filed from March 2021 to June of this year. The accounts in those cases range from Watson refusing to cover his genitals to the quarterback “touching [a plaintiff] with his penis and trying to force her to perform oral sex on him.”

One case was dropped due to privacy concerns in April 2021. Watson agreed to settle 20 of the 24 remaining active lawsuits in late June ’22, and later, he reportedly agreed to settle three of the remaining four civil suits filed against him ahead of independent arbitrator Sue L. Robinson’s initial disciplinary decision. 

Watson returned Monday to the Browns’ facility for the first time since his ban began Aug. 30. He’s ineligible to practice with the team until Nov. 14 and is expected to return from his suspension Dec. 4 against the Texans.

Watson has stood by his innocence and denied the previous allegations against him.